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JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


I - 


f - 


THE  EORD  RIDES  FORTH 
Ancient  Kakemono,  Seoul  Museum.  Cliapter  XXTTI 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


HER  ISLANDS,  THEIR  PEOPLE,  THE 


LATEST  FACTS  AND  FIGURES  C 


WAR-TIME  TRADE  EXPANSION  AND 
COMMERCIAL  OUTREACH 

BY  J 

JOSEPH  I.  C.  CLARKE 

125  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PICTURESQUE,  THE 


WITH 


NEW  YORK 

DODD,  MEAD  AND  COMPANY 

1918 


CO 


Copyright,  1918 

By  DODD,  MEAD  AND  COMPANY,  Iho, 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I 

PAGE 

Introduction 

. 

• 

. xvii 

No  “Asiatic  Mystery”  Here 

1 

General  glance  at  the  population — ]Men,  women  and  chil- 
dren— The  bar  of  language — Historical  conditions  that 
have  formed  character — Passion  for  education — The  little 
farms — Mr.  and  Mrs.  Japan  and  their  boys  and  girls. 

CHAPTER  II 

Farmers  and  Fishers  op  Japan IS 

They  feed  56,000,000 — Hard  work  and  cheerful  toil — In 
the  rice-fields — A farmhouse — The  draft  of  fishes — A fish- 
ing village — Professor  Nitobe  on  the  food  of  the  people. 

CHAPTER  III 

Silk  and  Tea  Culture 25 

Tender  care  of  the  silkworms — Mulberry  in  Japanese 
style — A “ small  ” industry  with  great  results — Among 
the  tea-pickers — The  magic  of  the  plucked  leaf — A love 
song  in  the  fields. 


CHAPTER  IV 


Home  Life  in  Japan 35 

Spotlessness  and  severe  plainness  the  note — Houses  with- 
out chairs  or  bedsteads,  the  fusuma,  the  tokonoma  and 
kakemono — A wife’s  long  round  of  duties — Marriage 
and  mothers-in-law — No  courtship — Easy  divorce — What 
makes  against  social  intimacy  with  foreigners. 

CHAPTER  V 

Japan’s  Educational  Furore 47 

A national  passion  for  learning — 8,000.000  pupils  in  37,000 
schools — 7,000  technical  schools — The  universities  and 
higher  schools — Woman’s  great  share  in  the  advance. 


V 


vi  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  VI 

Japanese  Manly  Sports 

Baseball’s  growing  popularity — Growing  skill  in  and 
spread  of  tennis — Sumo  and  the  great  Japanese  wrestlers 
— Judo,  or  jiu-jitsu,  the  famous  wrestling  game  and  its 
athletic  votaries — An  inspiring  sport — The  Japanese  smile 
— Wild  bouts  of  fencing  with  two-handed  swords. 

CHAPTER  VII 

The  Gardens  op  Japan 

Marking  the  year  by  flowers — The  cherry  festival — Flower 
arrangement — The  whole  country  a garden — Landscape 
effects  sought — Magical  transplanting — Tree  and  flower 
poetry — All  sorts  of  gardens — The  Mitsui  and  Okuma 
gardens — Hundreds  of  years  of  tree-dwarfing — Okura’s 
bosky  retreat — The  plaint  of  a lady  from  London. 

CHAPTER  VIII 

Temples  and  Religions  op  Japan  . , . , 

Shinto  and  Buddhist — Ancestor  worship — The  pilgrims — 
In  the  Honden — Charms  and  amulets — The  rope  of  30,000 
women’s  hair — Temple  architecture — Kyoto  and  Nara — 
A secret  of  the  shrines — Why  you  should  sit — The  glories 
of  Nikko’s  terraced  temple  shrines — lyeyasu’s  temples 
and  tomb — Wonders  of  carving — The  ablutionary — The 
Chinese  gate — The  dancing  priestess  of  Nara. 

CHAPTER  IX 

The  “Sending  Away”  op  an  Empress  . 

Tokyo’s  two  millions  and  the  funeral  pageant  of  the 
Empress  Dowager — Elaborate  ceremonial  and  popular 
grief — “ The  foreign  visitors  ” — ^The  silent  multitude — 
Old  and  new  Japan  in  the  great  procession — L’envoi  of 
the  Emperor. 

CHAPTER  X 

The  Making  op  Gods  in  Japan 

Ancestor  worship  at  the  root  of  Japanese  religion — The 
Emperor  Meiji — Why  he  will  be  a great  god — The  type 
of  a glorious  era  in  peace  and  war — The  case  of  General 
Count  Nogi — His  glorious,  tragic  life  and  dramatic  suicide 
— Desire  of  lonely  immortality — How  thwarted — The 
forty-seven  Ronins  and  their  undying  popularity — Count 
Nogi’s  house  a shrine — Tachibana  and  Hirose. 


FADE 

59 


70 


86 


106 


118 


CONTENTS 


vii 


CHAPTER  XI 

PAGE 

The  Theatre  in  Japan 137 

The  No  and  its  likeness  to  the  old  Greek  drama — A charm- 
ing compliment — “ Hachi-no-ki  ” — Singing  and  instru- 
mental accompaniment— Stage  dancing — Modern  pieces — 

Fine  stage  settings — Dramas  that  play  seven  hours — The 
Imperial  Theatre — Popular  old  melodrama- — “ The  Flight 
of  the  Prince  ” — Suicide  a great  theme — “ The  Step 
Mother  ” — “ One  Sided  Love  ” — “ Forty-seven  Ronins  ” — 
Ghosts— Males  in  woman  parts — The  marionettes — “ The 
Soul  of  Nippon.” 

CHAPTER  XII 

The  Fine  Arts  in  Japan 161 

An  artist  people — The  Oriental  tone — Lafcadio  Hearn’s 
perception — The  ancient  Buddhist  bronzes — Architectural 
schools — Historic  schools  of  painting — The  Ukij’oye — 
Boston’s  greed  and  luck — Art  education  teday — The 
ancient  style  of  Sansui  most  popular  among  professors — 

A “ Western  ” school — A great  master  painter  the  crying 
want — Photographic  sculpture — Wonders  in  porcelain  and 
cloisonne — Embroidery  in  excelsis — A hint  to  our  art- 
gallery  providers. 

CHAPTER  XIII 

On  Wheels  in  Japan 181 

Delights  and  drawbacks  of  the  jinrickisha  or  kuruma — 

The  runners — A three-century  old  jinrickisha — My  first 
ride — A procession  of  bobbing  lanterns — The  tic-toc  of 
clogs — The  kago  or  litter — The  travelling  chairs — The 
trolley  cars — Crowding- — Bicycles  for  business  purposes — 
Automobiles  rare  but  increasing — Room  for  a small  two- 
seat  car^ — The  narrow-gauge  on  the  state  railways — Three 
classes — Humours  and  manners  of  train  travel — The 
ready  “ red  cap  ” — Natives  who  take  up  much  room — The 
vocal  appeal  at  the  stations — Multiplicity  of  officials. 

CHAPTER  XIV 

The  Real  Geisha 198 

The  sublimated  waitress  of  Japan — Her  dancing  and  sing- 
ing— The  geisha  processions — How  she  serves  and  waits — 

The  Harvest  Dance,  Fisherman’s  Dance,  Spider  Dance, 

Lion  Dance  samples  of  her  skill — A night  with  actors — 

Her  training  begins  at  twelve  years  old — Hard  work — In 
public  festivals— Protecting  the  girls — Costly  acquaint- 
ances— Sometimes  marry  into  society — Not  to  be  confused 
with  tea-house  girls. 


CONTENTS 


viii 


CHAPTER  XV 

PAGE 

High  Lights  op  the  Road 214 

The  glory  of  Fujiyama — Kamakura’s  charm — Miyanoshita 
— In  Cha  Kago  to  Hakone — A Hot  Springs  siesta — Kara, 
the  beautiful — Kyoto  the  many-dowered  of  art  and  nature 
— A boat  ride  in  the  dark. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

Nikko  and  the  Isle-spangled  Seas  ....  228 

Beauties  of  the  Nikko  country — Lake  Chuzenji’s  rainbow 
waters — Osaka  and  its  fortress — Kobe’s  illuminated  water- 
fall— A rest  and  bite  at  Rokotan — Miyajima  and  its  torii 
in  the  sea — Fascinations  of  the  Inland  Sea — Stark  majesty 
of  the  rockr-sown  Korean  Archipelago — Curious  trip  to 
Matsushima — Extiaordinary  conduct  of  the  islets. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

Japanese  Newspapers 247 

The  Far  Eastern  newspaper  man — Many  college  men — An 
elastic  censorship — The  first  modern  daily  in  1871 — 3,000 
newspapers  now — lilere  mushroom  rise  and  fall  of  many 
publications — The  five  leading  vernacular  dailies— The 
one-cent  daily  everywhere — Growth  of  democratization — 

The  English  language  press — In  a native  establishment — 

The  home  feeling  of  the  American  newspaper  man — The 
editors  and  reporters  at  work — The  composing  room — 

A compositor  must  know  and  find  10,000  ideographic 
characters — A lively  scene. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

Some  Leaders  op  Men  in  Japan 262 

Glimpses  of  Cabinet  heads  and  diplomats — Parliamentary 
leaders  and  orators — Okuma.  Terauchi,  Yamagata,  Kato, 
Makino,  Chinda,  LIchida,  Ozaki — Bankers,  captains  of 
Industry — Men  of  big  business  and  sudden  uprise — 
Shibusawa,  Okura,  Hayakawa — Contrasting  types. 


CONTENTS 


IX 


CHAPTER  XIX 

PAGE 

Parliament  and  Politics  in  Japan  ....  281 

A history  not  thirty  years  old — The  limit  of  ministerial 
responsibility — The  Imperial  Rescript — Three  illustrative 
episodes — Yamamoto’s  fall — Rise  and  fall  of  Okuma — The 
rise  of  Terauchi — No  so-called  conservatives — Differing 
shades  of  liberals  and  progressives — A scene  in  Parlia- 
ment— The  elections — Growth  of  a Conservative  party, 
the  Seiyukai. 

CHAPTER  XX 

Japan  and  Big  Business 299 

Her  new  entry  in  the  world’s  trade  and  toil — The  nation 
alive  with  new  industries — The  government  steel  works — 

The  Kawasaki  dockyards — A samurai  manager — Dread- 
naughts  and  merchant  vessels  on  the  stocks — The  steam- 
ship lines — Great  profits  from  war  orders  for  Russia  and 
the  La  Follette  shipping  law — From  debtor  to  creditor 
nation — Cotton  spinning  and  cotton  cloths — The  great 
profits  and  the  workers  in  the  factories — Great  pottery 
works — How  American  capital  may  find  investments  in 
Japan — The  resident  foreigner  and  the  native  business 
man. 

CHAPTER  XXI 

Japan’s  Finance  and  Banking 318 

Only  fifty  years  of  real  banking — In  the  Bank  of  Japan — 

The  nation’s  finances — Remarkable  specialization — Cash- 
ier for  the  government — Revenues  and  e.xpenditure  and 
national  debt — The  banking  system — An  early  American 
model  rejected  after  a time — Great  work  of  the  Yokohama 
Specie  Bank— The  Hypothec  Agricultural  and  Industrial 
Banks — Colonial  banks,  Ordinary  banks,  Savings  institu- 
tions— Thirteen  million  postal  savings  depositors — Insur- 
ance— The  currency — Gold  basis — War  profits. 

CHAPTER  XXII 

Korea,  a Model  op  Colonial  Uplift  ....  339 

Over  the  path  of  the  great  sea  fight — Fusan — Korean 
peculiarities — Wonderful  uplift  work  of  Japan  in  seven 
years  since  anne.\ation — Seoul,  the  cit}’  of  the  fallen 
dynasty  and  the  new  advance — A visit  to  Governor-Gen- 
eral Terauchi — Increasing  rice  crop — Afforesting  the 
mountains — The  schools  and  helps  to  all — At  a technical 
school — 16,000,000  Koreans  being  led  upward  by  a hand- 
ful of  Japanese. 


X 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

PAGE 

Korean  Palaces  and  Antiques 356 

A visit  to  the  palaces  of  the  deposed  emperors — How  the 
fallen  emperors  live — A glimpse  at  Korea’s  history — The 
palace  of  Prince  Li — Wonderful  Mr.  Suyimatsu — At  the 
museum  of  antique  art — Celadon  pottery  from  the  graves 
of  centuries  ago — Finding  the  pieces — A story  of  archaeo- 
logical detection — The  murder  of  the  Empress  and  the 
great  abandoned  palace — A melancholy  sight. 

CHAPTER  XXIV 

Over  the  Manchurian  Battlefield  ....  366 

On  203  Meter  Hill — In  a droshky — Over  the  field  of 
Liaoyang — Where  Tachibana  won  deathless  renown — 
Kuropatkin’s  prudence — Mukden’s  great  struggle — Nogi’s 
bulldog  attack — The  three  farm  houses — The  final  retreat 
— Beans,  barley  and  kaolin  blotting  out  the  battle  lines. 

CHAPTER  XXV 

Port  Arthur  and  Kiao-chow 384 

Two  sieges  won  by  the  Japanese — A fascinating  pil- 
grimage over  fortified  hills  and  mighty  forts  that  fell 
before  valour  and  eleven-inch  guns — The  war-lessons  of 
the  fray — Russian  bravery  as  well — The  lady’s  slippers. 

CHAPTER  XXVI 

A Glimpse  op  Northern  China 402 

Mukden  and  Manchuria — ^The  upstanding  Manchus — ^The 
land  of  soya  beans — The  imperial  tombs — The  railroad  to 
Peking — ^The  Great  Wall — Some  of  the  sights  of  Peking, 
the  city  of  the  dead  empire  and  living  people — The  busy 
streets  and  the  silent  ones — The  spirit  walls — The  Altar 
of  Heaven,  the  temple  of  Confucius — The  Lamasery — 

The  Summer  Palace — The  Forbidden  City. 

CHAPTER  XXVII 

Peking  in  the  Heydey  op  Yuan 425 

Why  the  President  kept  to  his  palace — A virtually  impris- 
oned Vice  President  and  an  immured  boy-emperor — Dr. 
Goodnow  and  the  autocratic  Constitution — The  “ swarm  ” 

— Hotel  a nest  of  international  intrigue — Minister  Reinsch 
— Some  Chinese  portraits,  the  cheerful  Admiral  Tsai  Ting 
Kan  and  the  sad  Finance  Minister — Yuan  shih  Kai  at 
close  range. 


CONTENTS 


xi 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

Some  anti- Japanese  Polemics 

Factors  that  have  wrought  a change — Yuan  shih  Kai’s 
death  and  the  Chinese  Republic — America’s  entrance  into 
the  war — The  aborted  anti-Japanese  attacks — An  answer 
to  an  assailant — Failure  of  the  pro-Chinese  Cabal — The 
Lansing-Ishii  agreement  that  closes  the  chapter. 

CHAPTER  XXIX 


Japan  at  a Glance 

Emperor — Administration — Parliament — Privy  Council — 
The  Judiciary — Religion — Education — Army  and  Navy — 
Topography — Climate  — Population  — Natural  products — 
Manufactures — Railways — Tramways — Steamships — Ship- 
building— Posts,  telegraph  and  telephones-^apanese 
possessions. 

Index . . . 


PAGE 

441 


460 


471 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


The  Lord  Rides  Forth  (Chapter  XXIII)  . . Frontispiece 

facing 

FAOB 

A Village  Road 4 

Home  Life ‘ 5 

The  Roofs  of  the  One  and  Two-Storied  Houses,  Tokyo  . . 10 

Little  Shops  in  Kyoto 10 

Making  Straw  Mats 11 

Carpenters  at  Work 11 

Planting  the  Young  Rice 16 

Cleaning  and  Pounding  Rice 16 

Fishing  Village  Snapshots 17 

“The  Ploughman  Homeward  Plods  His  Weary  Way”  . . 20 

Taking  Out  the  Sleeping  Silk-Worms 28 

Tea  Picking  at  Uji , , 29 

Kneading  the  Tea  Leaves 29 

Mr.  Hayokawai’s  House  from  the  Garden 36 

The  Daughters  of  the  House 37 

A Model  Japanese  Room  at  Baron  Mitsui’s 42 

Semi-European  Room  in  a Rich  Man’s  House  ....  42 

Collegians  at  Study 52 

Blacksmith  Shop,  Engineering  College 52 

How  Girls  Read  and  Study 53 

Professor  Jigoro  Kano 60 

Judo  Class  at  Practice  Before  Dawn  in  Winter  Time  . . 60 

The  Muscles  of  Champion  Tachiyama 61 

Two  Younger  Wrestlers  at  Close  Quarters 61 

Japanese  Fencing 66 

A Corner  of  the  Palace  Gardens,  Tokyo 72 

Large  Private  Garden  and  Artificial  Lake,  Tokyo  ...  73 

Lawm  of  Baron  Mitsui’s  Home,  Tokyo 80 

A Small  Private  Garden,  Tokyo 80 

The  “ Otenmon  ” Gate,  Shinto  Temple,  Kyoto  ....  90 

Shinto  Main  Temple,  Kyoto 90 

Imperial  Messenger  Gate,  Higashi  Hongwanji,  Kyoto  ...  91 

'The  Great  Bronze  Buddha  of  Kamakura,  49  Feet  High  . . 91 

xiii 


xiv 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


rACtxo 

rAGB 

First  Terrace,  lyeyasu  Temple,  Nikko 102 

Yomei  Mon  Gate  on  the  Third  Terrace  of  the  lyeyasu  Temple, 

Nikko ^ 102 

General  Nogi 126 

Mrs.  Nogi 126 

General  Nogi’s  Two  Sons  both  Killed  at  Port  Arthur  . . 126 

The  Graves  of  General  and  Mrs.  Nogi 126 

Sword  and  Harakiri  Knife 126 

Gate  of  the  Sengakuji-Temple,  Tokyo 127 

Tombs  of  the  Forty-seven  Ronins 127 

Scene  at  No  Drama  “ Hachi  No  Ki  ” 148 

Audience  at  No  Drama 148 

Mr.  Baiko,  as  the  Wife,  in  the  “ Adventurous  Millionaire  ” . 149 

Mr.  Koshiro,  a Famous  Actor,  in  a Favourite  Part  . . . 149 

Mr.  Uzdaemon,  as  Benkei,  in  “ The  Prince’s  Flight  ” . . 149 

Mr.  A.  Kizuki  (man)  and  Mr.  Kitamura  (woman)  in  a 

Modem  Piece 149 

God  of  Wind,  lyemitsu  Temple,  Nikko 164 

God  of  Thunder,  Nikko 164 

Wood-Carving,  The  Three  Monkeys  of  Toshogu,  Nikko  . . 164 

Girl  Before  Mirror 165 

Wood-Carvings,  Yomeimon,  Nikko 176 

The  Kuruma,  or  Rickisha,  Japan’s  Great  Carrier  . . . 184 

Kago,  or  Palanquin,  Oldest  Style  of  Carriage  in  Japan  . . 184 

Kago  Cha,  Wicker  Mountain  Chair,  with  Four  Porters  . .185 

Humours  of  Travel  in  Tokyo 192 

“ The  First  Class  Car  ” 193 

Trials  of  Travel — the  Snorer 193 

Procession  of  Geishas  in  the  Mikado’s  Coronation  Festivities  . 206 

Geisha  Girls  Enjoying  a Meal  of  Their  Own  Serving  . . . 207 

A Geisha  Dance  with  the  Geisha  Orchestra 207 

Fujiyama  Reflected  in  Lake  Hakone 220 

Festival  Car  at  Kyoto 221 

Avenue  of  Cryptomerias,  Nikko 230 

A Temple  Servant,  Nikko 230 

Lake  Chuzenji  and  Nantai  San  in  the  Distance  . . . .231 

The  Great  Stone  Torii  at  Chuzenji,  Summer  Cottages  on  the 

Lake  Shore 231 

Kegan  Falls  near  Lake  Chuzenji,  200  Feet  High  ....  236 

Miyajima  Pagoda  and  “The  Hall  of  a Thousand  Mats”  . . 242 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


XV 


nciNO 


PACK 

Miyajima  Torii 242 

Kowta  Island,  Onomichi,  on  the  Inland  Sea 243 

Matsushima  (Pine  Island),  View  from  Furozan  ....  243 

The  Asahi  (Morning  Sun),  Tokyo,  Composing  Room  . . 260 

A Galley  of  Proof  and  a Page  of  “ Copy  ” from  an  Editorial 

in  the  Mainichi  of  Osaka 261 

Marquis  Terauchi,  Prime  Minister,  1917 268 

Marquis  Okuma,  Former  Prime  Minister 276 

Mr.  Yukio  Ozaki,  Leader  of  the  Chusekai 276 

Viscount  Kato,  Leader  of  the  Kensekai 276 

Mr.  T.  Taketorni,  a Leader  of  the  Kensekai 276 

Mr.  K.  Hara,  Leader  of  the  Seiyukai 276 

Dr.  Juichi  Soyeda 277 

Admiral  S.  Uriu 277 

Mr.  Buyei  Nakano,  President  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Tokyo  . 277 

Viscount  Kentaro  Kaneko 277 

The  House  of  Representatives,  Tokyo 290 

J.  Inonye,  Yokohama  Specie  Bank 310 

Mr.  S.  Hayakawa,  of  the  Mitsui  Bank 310 

Baron  H.  Mitsui,  Head  of  the  Great  Banking  House  . . . 310 

Baron  K.  Okura,  Philanthropist,  Capitalist,  and  Man  of 

Progress 310 

Mr.  S.  Asano,  of  the  Toyo  Kisen  Kaisha 310 

Baron  E.  Shibusawa,  a Great  Japanese  Capitalist  . . . 310 

The  Bank  of  Ja*pan 326 

Interior  Yokohama  Specie  Bank,  Tokyo 327 

A Suburb  of  Seoul,  City  Gate  in  Distance 348 

Korean  Court  Dancing  Girl  and  Servant 348 

Typical  Old  Korean  Swell 348 

Nandaimon  (or  Soreimon),  the  Southern  Gate  of  Seoul  . . 349 

Todaimon  Dori  (Street),  Seoul.  Running  to  the  Eastern  Gate  349 
The  Deposed  Emperor  of  Korea,  now  Known  as  Prince  Li,  and 

Living  in  His  Palace  at  Seoul 358 

Court  of  General  Audience  in  Deserted  Palace,  Seoul  . . . 359 

Palace  Where  Deposed  Korean  Monarch  Lives  ....  359 

Ancient  Bronze  Buddhas  from  the  Seoul  Museum  . . . 362 

Ancient  Korean  Golden  Ornaments  and  Pottery  in  the  Seoul 

Museum 363 

The  Lama  Tower,  Liaoyang,  1,000  Years  Old,  which  Dominates 
the  Battle  Plain  for  Miles 374 


XVI 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


FACIXO 

FAOl 


Natural  Cave  Temple  near  Peng  Chi-Poo,  not  far  from  Liaoyang  374 

Japanese  War  Memorial,  Mukden 375 

Barracks  of  North  Fort,  Kikwanshan 392 

Dead  on  203  Meter  Hill,  December  5,  1904  392 

On  the  Summit  of  203  Meter  Hill,  Port  Arthur  ....  393 

Russian  Reserves  under  203  Meter  Hill,  Port  Arthur  . . . 393 

The  Great  Wall  of  China 412 

A Street  in  Mukden 412 

Gate  to  Courtyard,  North  Mausoleum  of  the  Manchu  Em- 
perors, Mukden 413 

The  Chinese  Cart  that  You  Meet  on  Manchurian  Roads  . . 413 

The  Temple  of  Heaven,  Peking 434 

Hoang  Lu  Gate,  Temple  of  Confucius,  Peking  ....  434 

Among  the  Deserted  Palaces  in  the  Forbidden  City,  Peking  . 435 


INTRODUCTION 


One  cannot  tell  when  there  will  be  books  enough 
endeavouring  to  present  Japan  and  the  Japanese  to  the 
Western  mind  and  Western  appreciation.  An  immense 
change  is  in  progress  in  Japan,  has  been  progressing  some 
fifty  years,  but,  in  a happy  French  phrase  of  paradox : — 
the  more  Japan  changes  the  more  it  remains  the  same. 

Here  at  any  rate  is  a book  of  first-hand  impressions  of 
the  East  charged  with  the  thought  that  men  and  things 
are  pretty  well  what  they  seem  to  be  to  the  discerning, 
modern  eye.  I did  not  carry  with  me  to  the  Far  East  the 
mystic  sentimentalism  that  makes  the  books  of  Lafcadio 
Hearn  a literary  delight  but  renders  them  delusive  as 
interpretation.  In  the  marvellous  moonlight  of  his  style 
the  people  walk  as  dreaming  gods  in  a country  of  wonders, 
the  air  filled  with  semi- visible  spirits,  a land  of  high  ideals, 
subtle  colour  and  endless  courtesies,  love  filial  and  sexual 
binding  all  together  in  ideal  happy  relations.  It  is  simply 
not  so.  If  one  takes  Mr.  Chamberlain’s  fund  of  secular 
information  of  “Things  Japanese”  where  do  we  get?  We 
read  much  to  learn — scraps,  not  merely  snips  of  fact,  but 
scraps  thrown  at  one  with  an  amused  condescension  that 
leaves  one  venturing  to  doubt  the  value  of  the  comment 
thrown  in.  And  the  more  you  learn  of  the  Japanese  the 
more  you  doubt  Mr.  Chamberlain.  The  simple  narrators 
of  travel,  the  writing  tourists,  give  one  scenes  and  passing 
impressions  of  more  or  less  value,  and  many  specialists 
in  home  life,  the  art  life,  the  industrial  life  and  so  on  have 
shown  decided  merit  and  keen  observation.  There  is,  how- 
ever, always  room  for  another  kind,  and  this  book  presents, 
I hope,  a useful  and  piquant  variant.  It  approaches  its 

xvii 


INTRODUCTION 


xviii 

subject  without  illusions,  prepossessions  or  prejudices.  As 
I had  never  ranged  myself  with  the  proclaimed  enemies  of 
the  “Heathen  Chinee”  or  any  other  Oriental,  so  I did  not 
share  the  belief  that  the  astuteness  of  the  Japanese  was  so 
great  that  one  should  be  careful  not  to  treat  with  him  on 
his  own  ground  or  trust  him  out  of  your  sight.  I had  read 
a good  deal  about  Japan  and  the  Japanese:  I had  digested 
Dr.  Nitobe’s  exchange  lectures  which  are  perhaps  the 
clearest  extant  expression  of  Japan’s  claim  upon  the  toler- 
ance and  sympathy  of  modern  civilized  peoples,  and  had 
wondered  if  the  nation  lived  up  to  his  ascriptions. 

I have  essayed  to  judge  for  myself.  Many  and  great 
were  the  advantages  I enjoyed.  A long  friendship  with 
Dr.  Jokichi  Takamine,  the  distinguished  master  and  dis- 
coverer in  the  region  of  organic  chemistry,  beginning  years 
before  my  trip  to  Japan,  had  convinced  me  that  there  was 
certainly  one  Japanese  gentleman  and  savant  in  the  world. 
Summer  neighbours  we  had  been  for  many  seasons  in  the 
green  loveliness  of  Merriewold  Park  amid  the  woods  and 
hills,  the  lakes  and  streams  of  Sullivan  Co.,  New  York, 
fifteen  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea  and  that 
much  closer  to  Paradise  than  any  known  sylvan  spot  what- 
ever. His  letters  of  introduction  when  I decided  on  the 
Far  Eastern  trip  opened  doors  to  me  everywhere  in  Japan. 
Thus  I met  the  best  of  their  public  and  prominent  men  on 
a pleasant  footing,  and  obtained  a hundred  facilities  in 
looking  around  me.  To  some  of  my  critics,  notably  some 
who  might  be  termed  professional  eurasians,  whether  of 
Yokohama,  Kobe  or  Shanghai,  these  advantages  were  held 
to  be  positive  disadvantages.  I was,  they  said  deprecat- 
ingly  “personally  conducted”;  I was  not,  they  hinted, 
permitted  to  see  what  the  Japanese  disliked  me  to  see. 
Well,  that  is  grotesquely  untrue.  I went  where  I pleased 
and  saw  what  and  whom  I pleased,  including  a number  of 
the  interesting  European  or  American  specimens  just 


INTRODUCTION 


XIX 


alluded  to.  In  the  course  of  the  ensuing  chapters  will  be 
found  some  appreciations  of  these  gentry,  who  are 
responsible  for  so  much  mischief-making  between  the 
people  of  the  land  where  they  make  their  living  and  the 
peoples  they  spring  from.  They  are  of  two  kinds — agents 
of  “western”  mercantile  firms  who  find  their  business 
slipping  out  of  their  unprogressive  hands  as  they  lounge 
and  swap  stories  at  “the  club”  or  else  writers  for  foreign 
language  publications — many  of  them  mere  journalistic 
beach-combers.  How  it  comes  about  that  these  men  of 
fair  intelligence  if  no  particular  brain-power,  should  grow, 
the  longer  they  live  in  the  Far  East,  to  be  more  and  more 
inimical  to  their  surroundings  is  an  interesting  study  in 
its  place.  Their  comment  anyway  becomes  transparent. 
For  one  thing,  and  this  has  its  truly  comic  side  unlike 
other  of  their  outgivings,  they  deeply  resent  any  warm 
expressions  regarding  cherry-blossoms  or  wistaria,  the 
gardens,  the  temples,  or  other  externals  of  Japan.  I have 
not  raved  over  these  admirable  things,  but  a later,  self- 
elected  antagonist,  by  name  Patrick  Gallagher,  writing 
things  about  somebody  else,  turned  to  me  once,  fairly 
choking  with  rage  that  threatened  to  explode  his  corporal 
being,  and  just  could  burble : ' ‘ Oh,  the  cherry-blossoms  and 
wistaria!”  Could  anything  be  more  crushing? 

I found  the  Japanese  people  as  I describe  them,  very 
normal  human  beings  with  likes,  dislikes  and  leanings  much 
like  other  people.  Their  mystical  quality  which  so  many 
try  to  discover  is  simply  a persistent  belief  in  a spirit  world 
and  an  underlying  love  of  Japan.  These  are  the  growth 
of  ages,  enforced  and  inculcated  by  nearly  three  centuries 
of  isolation  before  the  present  half-century  or  so  of  taking 
on  the  Western  civilization.  I found  the  people  as  a whole 
models  of  industry  and  good  conduct,  markedly  united  in 
their  family  bonds,  bearing  and  forbearing  with  their 
neighbours,  very  democratic  in  spirit.  What  one  could  not 


XX 


INTEODUCTION 


see  at  a glance,  and  what  indeed  it  needed  special  informa- 
tion to  discover  was  that  the  opening  of  Japan  to  foreign 
trade  and  modern  ideas  w^as  as  valuable  to  her  on  the  side 
of  personal  conduct  and  social  relations  as  in  scientific 
knowledge  imparted  and  adapted. 

The  Japanese  writers  tell  us  how  perfectly  Japan  was 
and  had  been  functioning  in  government,  education  and 
social  life  from  the  palace  to  the  hovel,  from  the  capital  to 
the  smallest  rice-village  when  Commodore  Perry  thundered 
at  the  gates  of  Nippon.  It  is  all  quite  true,  but  is  not  all 
the  truth.  Thorough  as  the  Japanese  habit  of  mind  is,  the 
feudal  system  of  the  Tokugawa  stamp  was  perhaps  as 
perfect  a social  machine  for  its  purpose  as  the  world  has 
seen.  But  what  was  its  real  purpose?  To  keep  the 
Tokugawa  shoguns  in  power  and  to  keep  the  people  down. 
Not  to  speak  of  the  ages  before  shogun  lyeyasu,  the 
Japanese  peasant,  tradesman,  soldier  from  that  time  on 
had  not  only  his  dress,  food,  housing  and  range  of  marrying 
prescribed  for  him,  but  he  had  been  born  a spy  upon  every- 
body around  him.  In  taking  meticulous  precautions 
against  evasion  of  taxation  or  in  throwing  dust  in  the  eyes 
of  the  tax-gatherer,  the  finest  deceptions  were  perpetually 
practised.  Society  was  perfectly  organized,  but  no  one 
trusted  another.  The  theory  of  authority  was  that  this 
mutual  distrust  helped  to  forbid  conspiracy.  In  other 
words,  the  people  were  trained  in  a sinister  way  to  act 
to  their  own  enslavement.  The  downfall  of  feudalism 
changed  all  this.  At  least  it  left  the  ground  open  for  a 
thorough  change  upon  the  uprise  of  the  Empire  under  the 
Meiji  emperor.  And  change  did  come.  Personal,  neigh- 
bourly intercourse  became  more  free ; spying  and  carrying 
tales  fell  into  disrepute : deception  was  harder  to  kill.  In 
nothing  has  the  Western  regime  brought  progress  more 
truly  to  Japan  than  in  the  growth  of  open,  fair  dealing  and 
mutual  neighbourly  trust.  As  perhaps  everybody  knows 


INTRODUCTION 


XXI 


now,  the  business  man  in  the  eyes  of  the  samurai  stood 
lowest  of  human  beings  short  of  the  outcast  eta.  The 
fighter,  the  farmer,  the  craftsman  stood  ahead  of  the  trader. 
The  children  of  the  nobles,  of  the  gentry  of  the  sword  were 
taught  to  scorn  money.  It  was  supposed  to  reach  them  in 
sufficing  quantity  from  the  taxes  in  the  shape  of  salaries 
and  allowances:  it  was  criminal,  certainly  disgraceful  to 
add  to  their  share  by  barter.  What  a change  was  wrought 
by  the  new  regime!  Business  men  lifted  their  heads:  the 
samurai  entered  office  and  mart ; the  learned  professions  as 
they  grew  became  a new  aristocracy  of  brains;  the  poli- 
tician was  born ; there  as  elsewhere,  a necessary  but  mostly 
lamentable  intermediary  between  the  voter  and  the  law- 
maker. Bankers,  lords  of  finance,  arose  with  new  wealth 
and  new  responsibilities.  Captains  of  Industry,  the  super- 
men of  business  and  manufacture,  took  on  new  eminence. 
Factories  rose  up  employing  hundreds  and  thousands; 
schools  and  colleges  innumerable  sprung  into  being  teach- 
ing the  new  learning  to  the  nation. 

The  resultant  Japan  and  Japanese  were  what  met  my 
observation,  and  a brave  picture  it  made  and  a brave  pic- 
ture of  a re-created  nation  it  remains  and  shall  remain. 
I did  not  have  the  clue  at  first  to  some  of  the  shadows 
of  the  picture.  As  I gained  the  needed  knowledge  my 
admiration  rather  deepened  than  otherwise  at  the  social 
and  moral  uplift  that  had  already  taken  place,  comparing 
it  with  the  wholesale  darkness  that  preceded  it.  That  in 
such  large  movements  we  often  take  on  the  undesirable  with 
the  desirable  is  unfortunately  true.  If  politics  conceived 
in  scientific  terms  and  laid  down  in  guarded  rules  devel- 
oped corruption,  Japan  has  small  disadvantage  as  compared 
with  other  nations  of  greater  numbers,  wealth  and  cyclical 
possession  of  representative  institutions.  By  way  of  com- 
pensation for  these  new  evils  she  is  developing  a passion  for 
reform  and  public  honesty  that  should  make  her  the 


XXll 


INTRODUCTION 


stronger  for  the  humiliations  endured  and  for  the  offenders 
morally  strangled  and  actually  driven  from  public  life, 
while  a fairer,  broader  Japan  rises  all  round  to  the  level  of 
its  great  opportunities.  The  wave  of  anger  that  swept  over 
Japan  upon  the  discovery  that  a German  firm  had  been  able 
to  carry  the  customary  bribery  with  which  it  carried  on  its 
enterprises  into  the  heart  of  the  Japanese  Navy  was  really 
inspiring  to  see.  Victors  of  two  wars  in  which  naval  hero- 
ism, efficiency  and  devotion  had  been  lamps  of  effulgence, 
it  was  heartrending  to  the  nation  to  learn  that  the  filth  of 
the  German  briber  had  befouled  the  great  service  led  by  the 
immortal  Togo.  No  wonder  a ministry  toppled  when  the 
thunder  of  national  anger,  as  from  the  heights  of  a moral 
Fujiyama,  rolled  down  over  the  land. 

Quite  as  interesting  to  the  student  was  the  perception  of 
these  incidents  of  national  uprise  as  any  observation  of 
the  externals  of  scenery  and  life-movement.  They  inter- 
ested me  enormously.  Japan  out  of  her  isolation  was  not 
only  seeking  and  welcoming  new  knowledge  and  new  arts 
and  machinery  of  life,  but,  because  of  her  success  in  apply- 
ing these  Western  novelties,  found  herself  facing  the 
heavier  problems  of  the  older  world  that  she  was  copying. 
A people  ruled  sternly  from  above  through  a selfish,  feudal 
aristocracy  found  the  democratic  doctrine  going  ahead  of 
any  “concessions”  that  the  restored  Imperial  power  felt 
itself  impelled  to  make.  Those  thus  set  free  wanted  to  be 
freer  still,  and  if  European  socialism  made  small  progress, 
it  was  because  it  could  so  far  show  no  shining  national 
success  to  inscribe  on  its  banners.  In  all  other  respects, 
however,  a democratic  radicalism  was  making  itself  felt. 
The  call  for  an  extension  of  the  suffrage  was  one.  I met 
a group  of  young  scholars  without  votes  who  talked  bitterly 
of  the  deprivation.  The  hunger  for  public  office — for 
living  off  the  public  funds — was  not  acute  but  growing. 
The  commercial  and  industrial  opportunities  were  too  many 


INTRODUCTION 


xxiii 


and  too  good  to  make  the  slim  governmental  salaries  at- 
tractive : yet  even  these  seemed  riches  alongside  the  meagre 
wages  of  teachers  and  professors.  All  this,  like  the  question 
of  the  low  wages  of  the  factories,  will  cure  itself  in  time, 
for  all  my  observation  shows,  and  history  generally  sustains 
it,  that  there  will  be  no  backward  step  in  the  democratic 
advance  in  Japan.  It  may  bring  down  the  thirty  per  cent 
annual  profit  of  the  cotton  factories  to  one-third  of  that, 
but  it  will  come  all  the  same. 

The  Imperial  prerogative  must  be  held  in  view  in  con- 
sidering Japan’s  right  to  political  progress.  It  grows, 
however,  plainer  every  day  that  the  deep  respect  and  strong 
personal  affection  for  the  Imperial  ruler  is  sharply  sepa- 
rated in  the  public  mind  from  actual  politics.  No  con- 
ceivable revolution  for  at  least  a century  to  come  could 
threaten  for  a moment  the  safety  of  the  throne.  I can 
imagine  any  of  a score  of  Japanese  gentlemen  of  my 
acquaintance  rising  indignantly  to  say  that  not  in  a century 
of  centuries  could  the  throne  of  Nippon  be  put  in  danger. 
It  was  merely  my  way  of  stating  the  humanly  if  remotely 
possible  thing  in  a world  where  nothing  so  far  has  con- 
tinued without  change  or  the  threat  of  change.  The  truth 
is  that  the  relation  of  throne  and  people  in  matters  political 
must  be  further  worked  out  in  Japan  before  the  “angle  of 
repose”  is  reached.  The  Terauchi  premiership  of  1916  and 
its  sequel  in  the  Parliament  indicate  the  intensity  and 
possibly  the  duration  of  the  struggle.  It  took  over  two 
centuries  and  a half  in  England  to  fairly  settle  the  point 
between  Crown  and  ruling  class  on  the  one  side  and  the 
people  on  the  other.  Although  the  first  shock  resulted  in 
bringing  the  king  to  the  headsman’s  block  in  1649  A.D., 
reaction  and  retrogression  long  intervened.  The  elim- 
ination of  the  Crown,  save  as  a symbol,  from  the  Parlia- 
mentary struggle  was  practically  accomplished  over  a 
century  ago,  but  it  is  not  a decade  since  the  barrier  of  the 


XXIV 


INTRODUCTION 


House  of  Lords  was  broken  down  when  Lloyd  George 
imposed  the  veto  of  the  House  of  Commons  upon  the  lords 
spiritual  and  temporal  for  all  time  to  come. 

The  components  of  the  “ruling  class”  were  somewhat 
alike  in  England  and  Japan — the  Crown,  the  nobles  from 
whose  families  the  captains  of  army,  navy  and  church 
were  largely  drawn;  the  soldiers  who  (of  whatever  origin) 
had  risen  to  high  command,  the  great  industrial  captains 
given  titles,  the  law  lords  likewise  of  either  noble  or  plebian 
origin.  In  Japan  it  is  called  the  Bureaucracy:  in  England 
it  was  simply  “the  upper  classes”  implying  those  risen  to 
command  from  the  lower  ranks  as  well  as  the  hereditary 
eaters  of  the  people’s  bread.  The  Japanese  peculiaritj’’  lies 
in  the  fact  that  four  great  clans — the  Satsuma,  Choshu, 
Tosa  and  Hizen — mainly  the  first  two,  were  imposed  upon 
the  modern  official  class  when  the  feudal  sj’stem  was  broken 
down.  It  is  somewhat  as  if,  following  the  wars  of  the 
Roses  in  England,  the  sprigs  of  the  houses  of  York  and 
Lancaster  divided  all  the  valuable  offices  in  a government 
promoted,  say,  by  a Wat  Tyler  of  the  fifteenth  century. 
That  under  this  survival  in  office  of  the  clans — Satsuma  in 
the  Navy;  Choshu  in  the  Army,  and  both  in  high  cabinet 
places — the  nation  made  its  astounding  half-century  of 
advances,  including  the  victorious  conduct  of  two  great 
wars,  goes  far  to  justify  it.  But  the  ambitions  born  of 
democracy  will  suffer  no  prescription  of  class  or  clan  to 
thwart  them.  “The  blood  of  the  clansman  is  no  better 
than  another’s:  if  he  could  rule  and  win,  why  not  I?” 
may  be  taken  as  the  summary  of  the  later  popular  creed. 
It  is  a most  interesting  struggle. 

In  one  aspect  an  ultimate  victory  for  those  who  oppose 
government  by  the  Bureaucracy  would  have  a startling 
parallel  in  Japanese  history,  namely  the  relegation  of  the 
Imperial  power  to  something  resembling  its  status  in  tbe 
days  of  the  shoguns.  It  sounds  like  an  insensate  reversal 


INTRODUCTION 


XXV 


of  all  that  has  taken  place  since  1853:  but  is  it?  The 
Imperial  family,  the  Imperial  legend  lived  on  as  the  thing 
imperishable  through  epochal  wars  and  changes  of  eighteen 
centuries.  It  could  live  on  with  a Premier  substituted  for 
a shogun,  and  far  more  surely  in  safety  to  the  state,  in 
honour  and  dignity  and  racial  appeal,  because  the  Premier 
must  continually  have  the  popular  backing  or  fail  and  be 
succeeded  by  the  statesmen  with  a better  claim.  The 
shogun,  on  the  other  hand,  concerned  himself  about  the 
people  not  at  all,  but  much  about  gathering  riches  and 
honours  and  power  to  him.self  and  transmitting  them  to  his 
famil.v.  Academic  may  well  be  these  speculations,  and 
certainly  premature  for  many  a day.  Bureaucracies 
always  die  hard ; they  have  more  lives  than  a cat,  and  more 
shapes  than  Proteus,  and  they  do  of  necessity  include  men 
of  brains  and  resource,  and,  what  is  important  in  all 
struggles, — the  habit  of  command.  Note  the  case  of 
Germany  where  the  autocratic  military  Bureaucracy  after 
leading  the  people  into  the  quagmire  of  slaughter  fights  as 
hard  to  hold  its  own. 

Elsewhere  will  be  found  some  observations  and  brief 
appreciations  of  the  striking  personalities  Avhom  I en- 
countered among  the  leaders  of  Japanese  thought  and 
action.  It  will  strike  the  reader  that  they  include  a great 
many  barons,  viscounts,  counts  and  marquises,  but  one 
must  remember  that  these  titles,  not  at  all  indiscriminately 
issued,  are  simply  the  tag  of  distinction  which  the  Imperial 
government  affixes  to  the  life-work  of  the  efficient  con- 
tributors to  the  progress  of  Japan.  To  any  people  with 
an  aristocratic  past  and  present  such  additions  to  the  titled 
are  commonplace,  and  often  have  no  other  foundation  than 
a generous,  if  calculated,  loosening  of  the  purse-strings  in 
hehalf  of  party  or  at  best  of  national  needs  or  philan- 
thropies. The  English  peerage  simply  reeks  with  these 
“lords.”  While  they  have  in  Japan  as  in  England, 


XXVI 


INTRODUCTION 


Germany,  Italy,  Spain  or  Russia  an  implication  that  they 
make  for  a permanent  alignment  of  the  ennobled  with  the 
conservative  and  royal  or  imperial  social  and  political 
forces,  they  cannot  insure  it  to  the  second  generation  in 
this  modern,  open-eyed  world  of  ours.  The  standing  of 
author,  poet,  artist,  scholar,  professor  or  scientist  is  some- 
thing that  is  not  conveyed  from  above. 

I did  not  set  foot  in  a royal  palace  or  meet  a single 
member  of  the  Imperial  family — much  less  catch  even  a 
glimpse  of  Their  Imperial  Majesties — during  my  stay  in 
Japan.  The  widely-lamented  death  of  the  Empress 
Dowager  had  imposed  a year  of  court-mourning  and  abso- 
lute seclusion — a custom  applied  in  Japan  with  an  ancient 
rigidity  hard  to  imagine  as  of  the  present.  I did  indeed 
see  a figure  in  uniform  pass  in  the  night  at  the  impressive 
funeral  of  the  great  lady,  and  was  told  it  was  a royal 
Prince.  No  doubt  it  was. 

For  other  reasons,  mainly  for  want  of  a common  ground 
of  useful  conversation,  I met  but  few  of  the  higher  clergy 
whether  Shinto  or  Buddhist,  though  witnessing  high 
religious  functions  of  both  creeds.  What  part  they  are 
taking  in  the  new  Japan  and  its  making  was  not  made 
wholly  clear  to  me.  One  got  widely  the  impression  that 
the  “modern”  Japanese  did  not  highly  consider  the  work- 
ing of  religious  forces  in  a modern  state.  But  there  are 
shrines  and  temples  everywhere,  and  priests  and  bonzes 
abound,  and  in  every  home  in  the  land  is  a votive  altar  to 
its  dead  who  live  in  loving  memory.  Christianity,  despite 
the  enthusiasm  and  costly  upkeep  of  the  various  missions, 
makes  little  progress.  A people  without  fear  of  the  world 
to  come,  looking  back  to  its  dead  generations  for  spiritual 
aid,  and  having  a fairly  good  moral  code  of  its  own  is  hard 
to  interest  deeply  and  emotionally  in  the  Christian  story. 
The  missionaries  who  back  Christianity  with  medical 
practice,  with  the  teaching  of  English  and  other  accom- 


INTRODUCTION 


XXVIJ 


"plishments  make  the  best  progress.  In  the  view  of  the 
humble  native  a religion  that  carries  these  blessings  in  its 
train  must  be  of  great  value  on  its  own  account.  So  the 
story  of  the  intervention  of  the  Crucified  between  man  and 
his  demons  becomes  more  credible  to  him:  he  is,  besides, 
long  familiar  with  the  idea  of  sacrifice  unto  death  for 
others.  It  is  the  high  point  of  his  traditional  belief.  The 
Salvation  Army  system  of  proselytizing  has  its  attractions 
in  Tokyo  as  well  as  in  Liverpool  or  Gotham,  but  the 
agency  that  wins  most  sympathy  for  Christian  effort  is  the 
Young  Men’s  Christian  Association — faith  and  works  are 
so  conjoined.  They  attract  a good  attendance  of  natives 
for  the  privileges  are  many  and  the  helpfulness  many- 
sided.  What  percentage  of  real  converts  they  make  it  is 
hard  to  say.  I remember  dropping  in  on  a Y.  M.  C A. 
house  at  Dairen,  the  flourishing  port  on  the  Port  Arthur 
peninsula.  I was  asking  about  attendance  and  so  on  of 
the  bright-eyed  young  lady  teacher  I found  there.  “Oh, 
we  have  a good  many.’’  “And  converts?’’  “Well,  we 
have  one  man  here.  He  fought  through  the  Port  Arthur 
siege  and  was  in  many  battles.  I think.  Oh  (fervently)  I 
think  I am  getting  him  to  see  the  light.’’  I saw  the  fellow 
doing  some  easy  job  inside  the  house.  He  looked  at  me 
sullenly  with  an  evil  eye.  I would  not  appraise  him  high 
as  a Christian.  Still,  the  success  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  such  as 
it  is,  has  stirred  to  imitation  the  Buddhists  whose  church 
is  disestablished  in  Japan  and  lives  now  upon  the  direct 
support  of  their  co-religionists.  They  have  instituted  the 
Y.  M B.  A.  and  are  pushing  it  with  some  vigour  in  the 
large  cities.  Indeed  another  sign  of  life  in  Buddhism  is  its 
outburst  of  missionary  zeal.  Although  Buddhism  came  to 
Japan  from  China,  the  Buddhist  clerics  and  scholars  of 
Japan  consider  that  it  has  lost  its  vigour,  its  purity  in 
China.  They  accordingly  planned  to  plant  missions  in 
China,  and  induced  the  Okuma  ministry  to  make  their  pro- 


INTRODUCTION 


xxviii 

tcctioa  a clause  in  the  treaty  with  China.  The  result  was 
amusing.  No  clause  of  the  treaty  was  more  bitterly 
fought.  The  entire  phalanx  of  Christian  Missionaries  in 
Peking,  bishops  and  all,  arose  and  tore  the  air  with  male- 
dictions upon  such  a proposition.  “The  Japanese  Bud- 
dhists would  be  Japanese  spies,  their  temples  Japanese 
forts,  and  besides  they  were  idolaters.  Yah!”  It  must 
have  gladdened  the  heart  of  Beelzebub  to  hear  these  hot- 
gospellers  delivering  resounding  thwacks  upon  the  shaven 
skulls  of  the  suppositious  Buddhist  invaders.  Rather  sur- 
prised at  its  heated  reception  the  Japanese  dropped  the 
clause.  The  episode  should  live  long  among  the  curiosities 
of  missionary  ethics. 

Those  who  are  good  enough  to  follow'  me  through  the 
chapters  of  my  story  will  note  that  to  me  the  pulse  of  the 
whole  people  is  more  interesting  than  the  pulse-beat  of  this 
man  or  that.  To  see  a people  at  work  and  at  rest,  at  play 
and  at  prayer,  tilling  the  soil  or  tending  the  silkworm  holds 
interest  of  an  undying  kind,  for  these  things  all  must  do 
who  earn  the  right  to  live,  and  how  they  are  done  among 
a strange  people  of  another  civilization  older  than  our  ow'n 
has  a sweet  instruction. 

My  quest  took  me  into  many  odd  places  of  which  record 
will  be  found,  and  to  others  about  w'hich  I will  not  write. 
“Have  you  seen  the  Reserved  District?”  is  an  eager  ques- 
tion asked  by  scores  with  that  sort  of  mind.  I saw  it,  but  it 
belongs  to  the  pathologist,  not  to  me.  We  can  throw  no 
stone  from  that  sad  quarry  at  Japan.  Give  me  the  picture 
of  the  home,  the  school,  the  farm,  the  college,  the  factory 
and  I will  tell  you  what  the  people  are. 

The  great  war  in  Europe  with  its  millions  of  fighting  men 
clashing  with  a vehemence  and  skill  and  prodigality  of 
weapons,  engines  and  munitions  of  war  on  the  earth,  in  the 
air  and  under  the  sea;  in  its  astounding  spread  to  vast 
territories  involving  campaigns  over  Asia  and  Africa, 


INTRODUCTION 


XXIX 


involving  America,  aijid  drawing  its  battling  forces  from 
the  five  continents,  at  once  brought  in  J apan.  As  the  ally 
of  Great  Britain  and  the  friend  of  China,  Japan  at  once 
attacked  the  German  stronghold  of  Tsingtao  in  Kiaochow 
and  reduced  it  by  an  easy  application  of  the  lesson  it  had 
learned  at  such  cost  before  Port  Arthur.  For  the  rest  its 
Navy  rendered  account  of  German  warships  in  Eastern 
waters  and  seized  the  German  islands  of  the  Southern  seas. 
Its  destroyers  patrol  the  Mediterranean  to  effective  pur- 
pose. Its  allies  did  not  lack  for  soldiers  in  the  opening 
years  of  their  European  campaigns  or  could  not  conven- 
iently transport  them  to  the  field.  Perhaps  they  hesitated 
to  bring  into  the  Western  theatre  the  paladins  of  an 
Oriental  race.  At  any  rate  much  may  have  been  proposed 
but  nothing  was  done. 

But  a new  need  arose.  Europe  taken  aback  by  the 
German  long-prepared  onslaught  found  herself  imperilled 
by  a shortage  of  weapons  and  munitions.  So  a loud  call 
was  made  for  these.  England  and  France  turned  to  the 
United  States  with  colossal  orders  for  horses,  guns,  shells, 
textiles  and  foodstuffs.  Russia  turned  to  Japan.  Secure 
in  her  isolation  Japan,  although  a party  to  the  struggle, 
could  devote  almost  her  entire  manufacturing  capacities 
and  energies  to  answering  Russia’s  call.  The  port  of 
Vladivostock  and  the  Siberian  railway  gave  her  an  ample 
route  to  the  Crimea,  Moscow  and  Petrograd.  As  with  the 
United  States  in  the  case  of  France  and  England,  so  with 
Japan  in  the  case  of  Russia,  a tidal  wave  of  gold  came  to 
her.  Upon  Japan’s  finances  the  effect  was  prodigious. 
Long  a debtor  nation  struggling  bravely  to  pay  her  way 
and  laying  upon  the  future  a percentage  of  the  cost  of  her 
wars  and  her  progress,  she  emerged  from  a couple  of  years 
of  her  new,  war-won  prosperity  fairly  in  the  creditor  class. 
Outwardly  it  has  meant  a number  of  industries  working 
double  tides,  more  banks,  more  incorporations,  higher 


XXX 


INTRODUCTION 


wages  and  more  millionaires.  Differing  from  the  case  of 
Germany,  England  and  France,  it  has  brought  no  change 
in  the  way  of  life,  the  commercial  current,  the  aspect  as 
a whole  of  Japan.  And  she  awaits  the  end  of  the  great 
war-story  with  equanimity.  The  war  changes  none  of  the 
Japanese  pictures  drawn  in  this  book.  Tokyo  is  as  con- 
sciously busy  and  gay  and  Osaka  as  variously  occupied 
and  care-free  as  ever.  More  money  is  coming  in,  and  the 
people  are  ‘ ‘ feeling  their  oats  ’ ’ and  spending  more  freely. 
Exteriorly  that  is  all. 

On  my  return  home  the  desire  to  interpret  the  Japanese 
and  their  civilization  to  America  took  an  unexpected  bent. 
Our  Captain  Hobson  had  long  been  crying  out  at  what  he 
called  the  hostility  of  Japan  to  the  United  States,  making 
it  the  foundation  for  his  appeal  to  build  an  enormous  navy. 
This  hostility  was,  I knew,  wholly  fictitious  and  the  Hobson 
reasons  for  it  wholly  unreasonable,  but  it  had  not  been 
without  effect.  Hobson  had  been  snuffed  out  by  con- 
stituents who  were  tired  of  his  noisy  ineffectiveness,  but 
his  evil  work  had  not  been  eliminated  from  American 
minds.  And  then  came  another  “irritant” — a campaign 
launched  from  the  China  of  Yuan  Shih  Kai  at  the  cost  of 
Germany  it  is  charged,  and  using  a group  of  writers  from 
the  English-tongue  press  of  China  and  employes  of  the 
China  ministries.  To  Yuan  it  was  a roundabout  method  of 
countering  on  Japan  for  the  wound  his  pride  had  sustained 
in  the  Tsingtao-Shantung  negotiations.  In  some  incom- 
prehensible way  it  was  hoped  to  pave  the  way  for  a great 
American  loan  to  China.  Its  first  idea  was  to  paint  Japan 
as  all  truculence  in  its  relations  with  China,  but  it  failed 
utterly  to  attract  attention  and  was  barren  of  results  as  it 
was  of  good  faith.  On  the  heels  of  this  failure,  another 
attack  from  the  same  source  was  soon  started,  but  this  time 
it  was  a direct  attempt  to  embroil  Japan  with  the  United 
States  using  any  and  every  disreputable  dodge  and  trick 


INTRODUCTION 


XXXI 


known  to  disputation,  hesitating  at  no  garbling  or  false 
implication  that  would  make  a seeming  point.  It  met  with 
plentiful  rebuttal  from  a score  of  Americans  and  Japanese 
qualified  to  deal  with  it.  Something  of  a summary  of  my 
share  in  the  controversy  will  be  found  toward  the  back 
of  this  book. 

A third  attack,  supplementary  to  the  second,  was  made 
by  a writer  for  a widely  circulated  American  weekly,  a 
supposedly* impartial  man  who  fell  under  the  spell  of  the 
Peking-Shanghai  group  during  a month  or  two  of  residence 
in  Peking.  It  was  just  Captain  Hobson  and  Mr.  Rea  over 
again  with  nothing  new  to  say  in  the  region  of  fact,  but,  if 
possible,  more  in  attack  on  Japan’s  motives  and  purposes 
in  Asia  and  of  incitation  to  America  to  go  to  war  with 
Japan. 

The  whole  miserable  abortive  anti- Japanese  job  is  now 
well  down  the  wind.  Its  protagonists  have  gone  about 
other  business.  The  new  face  of  revolution  and  counter- 
revolution in  China  has  introduced  a bewildering  element 
to  these  gentry,  and  meanwhile  there  is  emerging  a better 
state  of  mind  for  the  understanding  of  Japanese  policy  and 
practice  in  China’s  regard.  The  magnificent  outburst  of 
feeling  in  America  which  greeted  the  coming  of  the 
Imperial  Japanese  mission,  headed  by  Viscount  Ishii,  is  a 
sure  proof  that  the  era  of  the  falsifiers  is  practically  closed 
and  that  a new,  kindly  liking  and  honest  understanding 
have  taken  its  place. 

I have  actually  no  guide  to  Japan’s  policy  toward  China 
that  is  outside  the  reach  of  any  trained  observer,  but  it 
seems  plain  on  its  face.  As  I see  it,  and  as  Viscount  Ishii 
explained  it  at  length,  Japan  wants  to  live  on  the  best  of 
terms  with  China  for  many  reasons.  Leaving  aside  the 
sentimental  reasons  of  neighbourliness  and  common  race 
put  forth,  now  by  the  Japanese  Premier,  now  by  a Chinese 
Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  it  is  plain  that  Japan  seeks 


XXXI 1 


INTRODUCTION 


as  large  a share  of  the  inland  trade  of  China  as  she  can 
secure.  To  obtain  that  two  important  things  are  neces- 
sary:— first,  China  must  be  friendly;  second,  Japan  must 
be  in  accord  with  the  other  great  Powers  in  their  attitude 
toward  Chinese  territorial  integrity  and  the  bases  of  ‘ ‘ open 
door”  and  “equal  opportunity.”  In  the  latter  the  task  of 
Japan  is  not  really  a difficult  one.  It  is  mainly  to  stand 
simply  and  honestly  by  the  present  trade  conditions  of 
which  no  complaint  is  made.  As  to  the  relations  with 
China  herself,  Japan  has  already  established  her  position 
in  the  Manchurian  peninsula,  Manchuria  proper  and  Inner 
Mongolia,  and  in  none  of  them  be  it  recollected  is  Chinese 
suzerainty  denied,  though  the  leaseholds  are  long,  China 
meanwhile  profiting  enormously  in  taxes  and  customs  dues 
from  Japanese  enterprise  in  these  territories.  The  disposi- 
tion of  Tsingtao  will  be  settled  w’hen  the  European  war  is 
over.  Particularly  since  China  broke  with  Germany,  it  is 
a fair  guess  that  Tsingtao  will  revert  to  China  at  the  cost 
of  an  indemnity  to  Japan  for  the  cost  of  the  conquest. 
What  then  remains  to  be  reached  ? An  era  of  good  feeling 
or  something  approaching  it  with  China’s  government  and 
people.  To  this  Japan  must  bring  the  highest  consideration 
and  tact.  Heretofore,  governmental  China  using  under- 
hand intrigue — the  weapon  of  the  weak — has  continually 
nettled  Japanese  pride,  and  called  forth  harsh  rejoinders. 
If  there  should  arise  a moderate,  self-respecting  Chinese 
government  not  given  to  the  methods  of  Machiavelli, 
Metternich  and  Talleyrand,  saying  openly  what  it  wants, 
it  should  and  I believe  will  meet  a Japan  anxious  to  placate 
and  co-operate.  This  is  all  inside  the  sentimentalism  of 
common  race  and  destiny  and  the  virtual  sovereignty  of 
Asia.  Cousins  can  be  pretty  bitter  enemies  as  the  “Gott 
strafe”  episode  between  England  and  Germany  goes  to 
prove.  China  may  not  have  weU-organized  armies,  but  she 
has  the  boycott. 


INTRODUCTION 


xxxiii 

On  all  these  factors  the  entrance  of  the  United  States 
I into  the  world-war  with  all  her  power  and  all  her  resources 
I exercises  a profound  influence.  It  inevitably  presents  a 
' nation  armed  to  the  teeth,  her  whole  population  thrilled 
I to  a long  dormant  emotion.  Tactically  it  aligns  the  United 
i States  with  Japan.  Her  quarrel  with  Germany  is  as  much 
; our  quarrel  as  is  the  rage  for  battle  with  which  our  men 
are  going  to  France.  We  shall  presently  have  two  million 
! trained  young  soldiers  in  the  field  and  perhaps  twice  as 
j many  under  arms  on  American  soil.  We  are  building  a 
' really  great  Navy.  We  are  straining  every  iron  nerve  in 
I our  body  corporate  to  launch  a great  mercantile  marine. 
Our  great  stretches  of  coast  are  to  bristle  with  great  guns. 
We  are  to  grasp  at  mastery  of  the  air.  We  are  pouring 
j our  treasure  into  the  gigantic  hopper  of  war,  lending  huge 
' sums  as  weU  to  our  belligerent  allies.  A besotted  mili- 

itarist,  autocratic  government  in  Germany  has  done  all 
this  for  us,  to  its  own  ultimate  destruction.  In  doing  it 
Germany  has  solved  our  Far  East  problem  for  us.  The 
I conversion  of  our  long  inertia  into  sudden  dynamics  is  a 
I marvellous  thing.  We  are  on  the  war-map  for  keeps.  The 
I no  me  impune  lacessit  of  old  Scotland  is  hereafter  an 
j obvious  motto  for  the  prickly  cactus  of  America  as  it  is  of 
I the  thistle  of  Scotia.  But  we  have  no  passion  for  cou- 
; quests.  We  are  simply  achieving  what  Japan  has  achieved, 

1 namely  an  inviolability  of  our  homeland,  and  setting  a 
mighty  guard  over  our  belongings.  How  it  applies  to  our 
Far  Eastern  problems  it  is  easy  to  forecast.  It  will  change 
nothing  in  our  trade  purposes,  but  will  bring  us  greater 
facilities  in  that  trade.  We  shall  overcome  the  destroying 
effect  of  the  La  Follette  Seamen’s  Act  without  stretching 
a hand  with  that  end  in  view.  Our  post-bellum  mercantile 
fleets  will  be  large  and  afloat  on  every  ocean. 

Japan  has  a poAverful  army  and  an  efficient  fleet. 
Should  either  or  both  be  the  American  bogey?  No  man 


XXXIV 


INTRODUCTION 


of  common  sense  who  views  the  present  giant  struggle  will 
deny  the  possibilities  of  unexpected  hostility  between  any 
two  or  thr^e  or  four  powers,  but  he  must  think  twice  or 
thrice  before  he  finds  a valid  reason  for  Japan  crossing 
five  thousand  miles  of  water  to  knock  with  iron  knuckles 
at  our  door.  No  need  to  discuss  the  physical  difficulties  of 
armed  transport:  no  need  to  drag  in  the  Philippines  or 
Hawaii  or  the  little  island  dot  of  Guam.  In  war  the  tail 
goes  with  hide.  It  is  the  will  to  war  that  is  necessary.  I 
do  not  believe  that  it  exists  in  Japan  even  in  the  irrespon- 
sible quarters.  It  is  absent  from  the  government.  I am 
willing  to  rest  on  that  statement. 

In  war-times  war-talk.  Somewhere  in  the  chapters  that, 
follow  I speak  of  a band  of  Tokyo  university  students  who 
in  the  Nietsche  spirit  go  swaggering  down  the  hilly  street. 
They  are  simply  feeling  happy  and  proud  in  the  American 
college  fashion  of  saying  to  all  and  sundry  within  sight — 
“we  are  the  stuff!”  They,  feel  the  lift  and  urge  of  the 
time.  It  may  mean  baseball  with  Waseda  or  defiance  to 
the  habitable  world.  Down  in  Hibya  Park — which  for  our 
purpose  may  be  likened  to  Hyde  Park  in  London  or 
Tompkins  Square  in  New  York — they  have  a place  where 
crowds  of  the  commonalty  suddenly  meet,  and  condemn 
somebody  or  something.  There  are  two  or  three  yellow 
journals  that  live  on  exciting  stuff.  From  none  of  these 
agencies  for  letting  off  popular  steam  has  come  any  mani- 
festation that  I know  of  wishing  Japan  to  begin  bleeding 
itself  on  American  lethal  weapons  with  the  view  of  con- 
quering or  injuring  America.  There  are  American 
theorists  who  insist  that  Japan  could  at  any  time  block 
the  Panama  Canal.  There  were  possibly  Japanese  who 
flirted  with  Huerta.  The  Japanese  in  the  United  States 
— save  one  unfortunate  orator  who  does  not  know  the 
difference  between  a figure  of  speech  and  a threat — are  too 
much  in  love  with  their  habitat  and  the  consideration  they 


INTRODUCTION 


XXXV 


' enjoy,  to  wish  the  dogs  of  war  set  loose  between  the  country 
j of  their  birth  and  the  United  States.  There  is  the  great 
bond  of  trade  in  which  Japan  profits  heavily  and  besides  a 
i hundred  bonds  of  good  feeling  between  the  traditional  and 
I the  present  epoch  of  goodwill.  They  count  for  something 
still  in  this  battling  world. 

But  the  great,  the  alluring  thing  is  the  hearty  union  of 
I these  two  strong  nations  to  make  the  Pacific  Ocean  a great 
; pathway  of  peace.  In  the  upshot  of  the  world-war,  that 
I is  something  that  every  friend  of  America  and  friend  of 
1,  Japan  must  keep  in  mind.  It  is  much  easier  to  foresee  a 
future  thereon  founded  than  on  any  outgrowth  of  the  bitter 
fruit  of  war.  War  has  never  been  within  miles  of  a reason- 
' able  possibility  between  us  for  all  the  mouthings  of  the 
I petty  malignants  and  interested  provokers  of  conflict. 

The  memorandum  of  agreement  between  Viscount  Ishii 
j and  Secretary  of  State  Robert  Lansing  disposes  of  all 
possibilities  of  quarrel  between  the  United  States  and 
Japan  over  the  question  of  trade  in  China.  It  will  be 
found  in  full  in  the  chapter  “Some  Anti-Japanese 
Polemics.”  Destined  to  live  among  our  notable  state 
papers  alongside  the  famous  Root-Takahira  Gentlemen’s 
I Agreement  as  to  coolie  emigration,  it  wiU  be  indispensable 
I to  all  students  of  international  problems  in  the  Far  East. 
I What  may  more  graciously  be  quoted  here  is  the  message 
j sent  by  President  Wilson  to  His  Majesty,  Emperor  Yoshi- 
I hito  on  the  first  day  of  December,  1917,  putting  the  high 
' seal  of  courtesy  upon  the  formal  utterance  of  diplomacy : — 
1 

! “Your  Majesty’s  cordial  message  is  most  gratifying  to 
me  and  the  people  of  the  United  States.  I wish  to  express 
I to  Your  Majesty  the  heartfelt  pleasure  we  have  had  in 
welcoming  your  distinguished  representative,  Viscount 
Ishii.  The  result  of  his  visit  will  be  as  happy  and  as 


XXXVl  ' 


INTRODUCTION 


permanent  as  the  enduring  friendship  of  the  peoples  of  the 
United  States  of  America  and  Japan. 

“Permit  me  to  hope  that  Viscount  Ishii  in  returning  to 
his  native  land  will  bear  with  him  memories  of  his  visit  as 
delightful  as  those  he  left  with  us.  ’ ’ 

With  me  the  reader  is  to  see  something  far  removed  from 
these  debates  of  policies  and  nourishing  of  dislikes — the 
picture  of  an  ancient  people  grown  young  as  they  may  be 
seen  at  work,  at  play,  at  prayer  and  at  home.  It  is  some- 
thing engaging  and  gracious,  worth  while,  and  full  of 
promise. 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


’ ' ; A I. 


■ i 


CHAPTER  I 


NO  “ASIATIC  MYSTERY”  HERE 

General,  glance  at  the  population — Men,  women  and  children — 
The  bar  of  language — Historical  conditions  that  have  formed 
character — Passion  for  education — The  little  farms — Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Japan  and  their  boys  and  girls. 

Where  is  the  “Asiatic  Mystery”?  I had  been  warned 
that  I would  never  be  able  to  understand  the  Japanese; 
behind  all  appearances  was  the  mystery  of  the  East  im- 
penetrable to  Western  eyes  and  understanding. 

My  observation  leads  me  to  the  reverse  conclusion.  The 
Japanese  people  are  first  of  all  intensely  human  as  we 
understand  the  word,  with  virtues  and  frailties  like  our 
own,  with  our  motives  of  action  and  directions  of  interest. 
They  laugh  heartily ; you  can  hear  it  all  around  you.  They 
weep  too,  but  it  is  a point  of  honour  or  custom  or  etiquette 
to  do  it  secretly  when  they  can.  Sometimes,  alas,  they 
must  out  with  it. 

I was  at  a marionette  show  at  Osaka.  The  marionettes 
are  one-third  size  and  very  lifelike,  but  they  are  ma- 
nipulated by  men  standing  behind  them  in  full  sight  of 
the  audience.  It  was  a mediaeval  play  of  Masaoka,  a mother 
of  Spartan  quality  who,  out  of  loyalty  to  her  prince,  felt 
obliged  to  stand  by  dumb  and  stoical  while  her  babe  was 
murdered  before  her  eyes.  Soon  the  murderers  departed, 
leaving  her  alone. 

The  mother  rose  warily,  looked  about  stealthily,  then 
sprang  suddenly  upon  the  body  of  her  child  and  hugged 
it  to  her  breast.  The  crowded  audience,  men  and  women, 

1 


2 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


burst  into  tears.  Sobs  were  heard  on  all  sides,  and  the 
group  of  geishas,  twenty  or  more,  seated  near  the  stage 
and  looking  like  a great  bed  of  chrysanthemums,  sobbed 
the  loudest  of  all.  Never  was  there  more  weeping  at 
“Madame  X.” 

Yes,  they  weep. 

They  love  and  toil,  toil  unremittingly.  They  honour 
their  parents;  the  family  is  a living  unit,  with  quite  a 
domestic  government  arranging  things  in  an  orderly  way. 
They  are  intensely  patriotic.  They  are  markedly  polite 
and  hospitable.  They  are  scrupulously  clean ; every 
Japanese  takes  a hot  bath  daily ; they  dress  decently.  They 
are  thrifty;  they  are  keen  traders.  They  are  imbued  with 
the  spirit  of  progress.  They  learn  quickly  and  study  with 
avidity. 

In  every  walk  and  department  of  life  and  actiWty  they 
are  a nation  ardently  attending  school.  There  are  nearly 

56.000. 000  of  them  in  Japan  proper.  There  are  nearly 

10.000. 000  households.  Japan  has  often  been  called  “the 
paradise  of  children” — everywhere  chubby  smiling  infants 
on  the  backs  of  mothers,  sisters  or  brothers;  everywhere 
free-limbed  merry  boys  of  school  age  in  peaked  caps,  long 
blue-white  speckled  blouses,  and  schoolgirls  in  light-toned 
kimono  with  gay-coloured  obi,  like  gambolling  flowers  along 
the  streets  and  the  poorer  streets  too.  As  in  America  the 
great  school  possibilities  are  open  to  every  child.  There 
they  are,  then,  as  I have  seen  them,  optimism  possessing 
them,  their  faces  smiling  as  they  face  the  future — very  like 
what  we  would  like  any  civilized  nation  to  be.  And  where 
the  “mystery”? 

It  is  not  a mystery,  which,  according  to  Lord  Dundreary, 
is  “the  sort  of  thing  no  fellow  can  find  out.”  To  my 
thinking  it  resides  in  our  own  ignorance. 

You  do  not  understand  a line  of  minor  action;  why,  for 
instance,  a Japanese  merchant  is  slow,  apparently  dilatory. 


NO  “ASIATIC  MYSTERY”  HERE 


3 


in  completing  a deal  that  is  perfectly  clear  to  you  and  (you 
think)  should  be  perfectly  clear  to  him.  You  growl  at  the 
“mystery”  of  the  Asiatic  mind.  Now,  the  Japanese  under- 
stands all  the  business  points, — be  quite  sure  of  that, — but 
he  has  people  to  consult  of  whom  you  do  not  dream ; people 
who  have  to  say  about  the  ways  and  means. 

He  is  careful,  cautious,  with  a long-inherited  suspicion 
in  trade.  He  has  to  close  up  one  door  before  he  opens 
another.  It  is  his  custom,  born  before  banks,  railroads, 
telegraphs,  telephones.  He  will  manage  it  in  time,  in  fact 
he  is  learning  fast.  All  this  may  be  exasperating,  but  it 
is  no  mystery. 

The  old  complaint  of  the  Western  traders  that  the 
Japanese  was  the  most  difficult  of  men  to  trade  with  and 
not  to  be  compared  with  the  bigger  of  the  Chinese  traders, 
is  heard  no  more.  With  the  coming  of  “big  business”  the 
Japanese  traders  have  broadened  out  and  speeded  up. 
Their  ships  are  on  every  sea,  their  enterprises  in  every 
land.  At  the  present  rate  of  expansion,  particularly  since 
vast  profits  have  come  to  her  from  the  great  war,  Japan’s 
commercial  man  is  more  likely  to  overdo  than  underdo  in 
seeking  his  share  in  the  marts  of  the  world. 

Then  his  language  is  extremely  difficult;  it  is  a formi- 
dable barrier  to  complete  interchange  of  thought  with  the 
foreigner.  The  Japanese  thinks  and  talks  his  OAvn  lan- 
guage rapidly.  >Few  indeed  of  them  ever  learn  to  talk 
rapidly  in  any  foreign  language.  The  students  of  English 
in  Japan  are  numbered  by  tens  of  thousands.  Many  talk 
it  with  fluency.  One  not  so  fluent  said  of  his  friend,  who 
was  also  studying  English,  “Iwamura  is  in  advanced  stage 
of  composition.” 

Naturally  the  majority  are  in  the  early  steps  of  conversa- 
tion, though  their  reading  is  apt  to  be  curionsly  advanced. 
I recall  one  Tokyo  business  man  begging  me  for  a little 
light  on  “the  English”  of  one  of  the  late  Mr.  Synge’s  Irish 


4 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


dialect  plays.  Well,  this  lan^age  barrier,  believe  me, 
accounts  for  nine-tenths  of  the  “Asiatic  Mystery,”  and  a 
certain  Western  superciliousness  or  at  least  incuriosity, 
not  to  say  scorn  as  to  racial  lines  of  thought  and  belief, 
accounts  for  the  balance. 

Religious  beliefs,  or  what  stands  for  them,  individualities 
as  shaped  by  immemorial  custom  or  as  rounded  and 
hardened  by  more  or  less  oppressive  governments  in  the 
past,  are  the  real  factors  in  the  difference  in  surface  char- 
acter between  the  men  and  women  of  races  and  nations.  In 
the  broad,  deep,  essential  things  there  is  little  or  no  dif- 
ference between  white  and  yellow.  That  is  not  much  of  a 
discovery,  but  it  is  well  to  keep  it  in  mind. 

For  a poet  and  romancist  like  Kipling,  whose  rhymes 
become  the  watchwords  of  half-baked  amateur  sociologists, 
the  “Asiatic  Mystery”  is  a splendid  bit  of  machinery.  It 
gives  a tingle  to  his  stories  and  an  edge  to  his  rhymes.  It 
is  at  the  same  time  the  piffling  apology  for  Britain’s  gross 
ignorance  of  the  inner  hearts  of  the  hundreds  of  millions 
she  has  ruled  in  India  for  a century  and  a half.  What 
Shakespeare  said  of  the  Jew  of  three  hundred  years  ago  is 
quite  as  true  of  the  other  Orientals  of  today  in  their  native 
plains  and  highlands.  True,  it  is  only  a degenerate 
Tommy  Atkins  who  in  the  brick  wilderness  of  Bethnal 
Green  or  the  grogshops  of  Rateliffe  Highway  longs  to  be 
“somewhere  east  of  Suez,”  where  “there  ain’t  no  Ten 
Commandments,  and  a man  can  raise  a thirst.”  But  his 
precise  longing,  be  it  noted,  is  not  to  be  among  the  millions 
on  millions  of  abstemious,  toiling,  saving,  simple  peoples 
native  to  the  East,  but  among  the  hell-holes  of  the  arid 
coasts  where  the  white  men  of  the  lowest  order  spread 
drunkenness,  vice  and  disease  in  pursuit  of  “a  good  time” 
at  a nominal  cost. 

Neither  with  Kipling  nor  the  French  mystic  lyrists  nor 
the  German  wanderlust  mystics  let  us  train  when  we  think 


A VILLAGE  ROAD 


HOMK  I.IFK  THK  I.ITTI.K  IITMAN  FI.OWF.RS 


NO  “ASIATIC  MYSTERY”  HERE 


5 


of  the  East,  least  of  all  when  we  write  or  think  of  Japan. 
Here  is  a virile  nation,  organized  and  still  organizing  and 
evolving  at  a rate  at  once  incredible  and  without  precedent. 
Differing  frora  us  in  a hundred  superficial  ways,  they  are 
fundamentally  of  the  same  human  kith  and  kin  and  flesh 
and  blood. 

They  have  had  scores  of  observers  from  many  foreign 
nations,  who  have  noted,  some  of  them  acutely,  some 
stupidly  and  perversely,  some  entertainingly  if  inexactly, 
the  facts  in  the  case  of  Japanese  progress  in  the  last  fifty 
years.  I have  read  many  of  them,  but  it  is  easier  for  me, 
and  perhaps  better,  to  give  my  own  impressions  for  what 
they  are  worth,  based  on  what  I have  seen  and  heard. 

I do  not  expect  to  treat  the  Japanese,  if  you  please,  as 
anything  but  men,  women  and  children  of  the  world,  with- 
out mystery  or  undermeaning,  even  the  mild  old  priests  or 
bonzes  at  their  mountain  temple  doors  or  village  shrines, 
much  less  the  manufacturer  of  pottery  at  Kyoto  or  cotton 
cloths  at  Osaka. 

Japan  has  a clear  history  of  twelve  hundred  years  of 
organized  government  and  industry  and  art.  Like  other 
nations  of  island  habitation  it  has  history  of  a kind  going 
back  to  a misty  time  long  before  that.  Not  all  its  govern- 
mental experience  was  happy.  An  imperial  or  kingly 
power  gradually  reduced  to  nonentity  by  vigorous  satraps 
calling  themselves  regents  or  shoguns  or  whatever,  ruling 
directly  through  powerful  local  princes  called  daimios,  was 
the  prevailing  aspect  for  a thousand  years.  Bloody  inter- 
necine feudal  wars  were  frequent,  with  great  devastation 
of  property. 

The  imperial  house  ruled  first  in  Nara,  but  after  a couple 
of  centuries  removed  to  and  remained  practically  cloistered 
in  Kyoto,  but  the  ruling  satrap  families  had  their  capital 
at  Kamakura,  and  later  at  Yedo,  where  the  Tokugawa 
family  held  sway.  Under  the  stern  rule  of  these  Tokugawa 


6 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


shoguns  the  feudal  wars  were  ended  and  the  feudal  system 
perfected.  It  began  in  1573,  had  consolidated  itself  after 
the  bloodiest  battles  in  Japanese  history  by  the  early  years 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  lasted  until  1868,  giving 
Japan  250  years  of  peace  and  isolation. 

Art,  literature,  architecture  had  from  the  earliest  times 
percolated  steadily  into  Japan  from  China,  mostly  through 
Korea,  its  nearest  neighbour,  and  Japanese  ingenuity  and 
taste  in  some  cases  improved  on,  and  in  all  cases  modified, 
the  originals.  It  received  Buddhism  in  this  way,  giving  to 
its  religious  life  moral  precepts  and  colour.  Its  own 
Shinto  cult,  really  a liturgical  expression  of  its  primitive 
ancestor  worship,  survived,  in  some  cases  mingling  with 
Buddhism. 

I am  taking  this  glance  at  Japan’s  earlier  history  that 
one  may  envisage  the  nation  as  it  moved  toward  our  own 
time  through  the  minutely  organized  social  conditions 
under  the  Tokugawa  shogunate.  Outside  of  the  alwaj's 
bright  aptitude  of  the  race,  it  was  the  stern  social  Toku- 
gawa life-rules  which  prepared  the  way  for  the  marvellous 
advance  made  since  Commodore  Perry’s  ships  went  thither 
in  1853  with  an  insistent  message  of  good  will  to  Japan 
from  the  advancing  Western  world. 

The  provincial  daimios,  ruling  under  and  by  leave  of  the 
shogun  and  held  in  subjection  to  him  by  an  iron  grip  in 
a velvet  glove  of  high  courtesy,  held  similar  iron  rule  in 
their  own  dominions.  Each  feudal  lord  had  an  army  of 
knights  or  samurai,  armed  and  highly  trained  to  war  of 
the  ancient  type,  each  entitled  to  wear  two  swords,  and 
bound  to  strict  honour  and  manly  virtue  by  the  celebrated 
code  of  Bushido — the  Ways  of  the  Fighting  Man. 

They  were  troubadours  of  a kind.  They  read  the  Chinese 
classics.  They  did  no  work.  They  had  been  wisely  taught 
by  their  lords  to  scorn  money  and  despise  trade.  They 
were  the  gentlemen  of  the  country.  Modern  Japanese 


NO  “ASIATIC  MYSTERY”  HERE 


7 


translates  them  as  “retainers”;  they  were,  for  comparison, 
more  truly  knights  and  squires,  and  are  the  fine  ideals  of 
the  romances  that  attract  the  young  moderns  of  Nippon. 

The  other  and  not  so  attractive  or  picturesque  side  of  it 
was  the  pressure  of  these  high  lords  and  doughty  warriors 
on  the  masses  of  the  people,  divided  in  descending  grades  of 
scorn  into  farmers,  artisans,  traders.  For  every  village, 
every  family,  every  trade  rigid  rules  prescribed  what  one 
should  wear,  eat  and  do ; what  size  of  house  even  one  should 
build  or  own.  Taxes  of  all  kinds  were  paid  to  a decimal. 

The  common  people  not  only  were  made  to  live  within  the 
lordly  rules,  but  they  themselves  made  more  rigid  the  rule 
of  the  family  coiuicil.  They  formed  a huge,  constantly 
grinding  machine  threshing  out  wealth  for  the  lords  and 
salaries  for  the  samurai.  They  became  spies  upon  each 
other.  Neighbour  distrusted  neighbour.  For  them  there 
was  no  Bushido.  No  samurai  could  be  successfully  called 
to  account  for  assault  upon  them. 

If  this  moral  bondage  has  still  left  its  trace  upon  char- 
acter, and,  with  the  non-observant,  has  aided  in  creating 
the  bogy  of  “Asiatic  mystery,”  it  is  well  that  it  should  be 
understood.  But  a great  -change  is  going  on  in  national 
character  as  well  as  in  national  work.  On  the  fall  of  the 
shogunate  and  the  restoration  to  power  of  the  Mikado,  a 
new  national  consciousness  was  born  and  a white-hot 
patriotism,  an  unparalleled  devotion  took  violent  possession 
of  young  and  old.  Thus,  a nation-wide  tide  has  for  over 
half  a centurj"  been  sweeping  over  the  people,  and  the 
resulting  imperial  commonwealth  is  today  as  inspiring  a 
sight  as  the  world  offers. 

The  mass  is  not  all  leavened,  but  it  is  still  leavening  fast. 
Under  ancient  imperial  form,  administered  practically  by 
a democratic  Parliament,  it  has  set  a most  complete  educa- 
tional machinery  in  motion,  from  universities  to  primary 
schools,  that  functions  with  precision  and  turns  out  most 


8 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


creditable  classes  of  all  grades  and  of  every  technique  who 
will  further  transform  Japan.  It  has  fought,  as  we  all 
know,  two  great  foreign  wars  to  astounding  victory.  It 
supports  a colossal  army  and  a great  navy,  and  until  the 
commerce  and  tremendous  industrialism  brought  to  it  by 
the  world-war  poured  gold  by  the  hundred  millions  into 
its  lap,  staggered  a bit  under  the  load  of  war  debt  and  the 
huge  cost  of  military  and  naval  upkeep ; but  then  as  now 
its  optimism,  its  faith  in  itself  and  the  future  are  thrilling 
things. 

Trade — stimulating  trade  at  home  and  finding  roads  for 
trade  abroad — is  the  heart  of  its  greatest  problem  today. 
Stimulating  agriculture  by  scientific  aid;  for  instance,  in- 
creasing the  rice  yield  in  some  districts  thirty  per  cent.; 
bettering  tea  culture,  improving  silkworm  culture,  study- 
ing soils,  trees,  grains  and  clays  for  the  potter,  frank 
recognition  of  difficulties  and  limitations,  clear  admission 
that  Japan,  for  all  the  wealth  potential  that  it  holds,  is 
comparatively  a poor  country,  are  encouraging  factors  for 
well-wishing  onlookers.  In  its  natural  outreach  to  control 
its  own  trade  at  home,  and  under  its  great  necessity  to 
make  new  trade  abroad,  it  is  not  likely  to  lessen  the  number 
of  its  critics,  but  it  pushes  on  serenely.  The  vigour  of  the 
movement  is  warranted  by  trade  conditions  and  Japanese 
knowledge  of  trade  currents,  but  it  presses  daily  for 
solution,  and  with  results. 

Of  the  natural  beauties  of  Japan  this  is  not  the  moment 
to  write,  and,  besides,  much  in  good  English  has  there 
anent  been  written,  until  even  the  sovereign  beauty  of 
Fujiyama  with  its  silver  crown  has  come  to  be  a little 
dreaded.  But  town  and  country  as  they  show  the  trace 
of  man  are  a never-ending  surprise  and  often  a delight. 

The  crowded  streets  of  the  towns  and  their  ever  cheerful, 
ever  busy  comers  and  goers  and  doers  are  to  me  of  unfailing 
interest.  It  is  all  so  quaint,  so  intimate,  so  open  to  the 


NO  “ASIATIC  MYSTERY”  HERE 


9 


world.  There  are  big  important  buildings  here  and  there 
of  Western  type,  but  the  long  lines  of  the  business  streets 
of  low,  two-story  houses  or  even  in  the  poorer  districts  of 
one  story  that  stretch  on  each  side  of  the  roadway  with 
their  many-coloured  perpendicular  banneret  signs  in  ideo- 
graphs are  the  real  Japan. 

About  two  dozen  kinds  of  shops  and  stores  repeat  them- 
selves endlessly.  Glass  fronts  are  rare ; most  are  open,  the 
wares  on  a floor  or  a platform  little  raised  above  the  street 
level,  the  owner — shopman  or  shopwoman — squatted  smil- 
ingly and  watchful  over  the  display,  which  may  be  number- 
less varieties  of  the  baker’s  art,  artistic  groupings  of  fresh 
fish  or  vegetables  or  crockery  or  wooden  clogs,  a florist,  a 
bookstore,  a firewood  store,  a little  tea  house,  an  occasional 
saki  (wine)  shop.  Then  the  carpenter  sits  on  the  floor 
sawing  and  planing,  the  blacksmith  squats  while  his  helper 
stands  and  swings  the  sledge,  the  carver  works  demurely 
squatted  in  a corner,  the  watchmaker  squats  on  a neat 
carpet. 

Babies  abound,  the  mothers  carrying  them  about  on  their 
backs ; sometimes  crowing,  sometimes  asleep.  After  school 
hours  boys  and  girls  dart  hither  and  thither.  Men  come 
and  go  looking  sometimes  like  Roman  Senators,  sometimes 
like  monks,  but  all  naively  Japanese.  Riekishas  (kurumas 
they  call  them  here)  trundle  past  at  a jog  trot,  the  little 
patient  runners  bent  forward,  warning  people  with  a soft 
“Hi!  Hi!” 

You  have  missed  something?  Horses.  You  are  in  a 
land  of  man-power.  There  are  bicycles.  In  all  Tokyo  of 
2,000,000  inhabitants  there  were  in  1914  only  700  automo- 
biles. Men  drawing  two-wheel  carts  with  impossible  loads 
toil  past.  I saw  thirteen  men  drawing  a large  roller  along 
a wide  newly  paved  avenue ; a boy  filling  a small  watering 
cart  with  a bucket  fastened  to  a pole  and  then  sprinkling 
it  over  the  roadway.  I saw  a man  dragging  a heavily  laden 


10 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  H^IND 


cart  over  a bridge,  his  wife  with  a baby  on  her  back  pushing 
behind,  and  their  son  of  about  ten  years  also  pushing — the 
whole  family  at  it. 

They  carry  great  loads,  too,  on  long  poles  resting  on  their 
shoulders  with  a great  basket  at  either  end.  In  city  or 
country  it  is  the  same.  There  are  draught  horses  and 
horses  for  the  plough,  but  very  few.  In  town  or  country 
the  driver  leads  but  never  rides. 

“Why  not?”  I asked. 

“Because  all  his  neighbours  would  say,  what  an  unkind 
man,”  was  the  simple  apparently  sufficing  answer. 

It  was  at  the  Tokyo  exposition  that  I first  saw  great 
crowds  of  the  holiday-seeking  Japanese.  Such  a gathering 
of  jolly,  wondering  humanity — the  whole  family,  from 
grandfather  to  infant  in  arms,  all  brought  along,  thousands 
and  thousands,  eating,  drinking  tea,  smoking  ridiculous 
little  pipes.  And  the  exposition  itself,  like  other  exposi- 
tions, the  marvel  being  that  everything  was  made  in  Japan, 
from  pottery  to  pearls,  even  ro  fine  mathematical  instru- 
ments and  dentists’  chairs! 

At  night  there  is  little  glare,  except  where  the  “movies” 
have  taken  up  their  stand  by  the  theatres,  where  great  arc 
lights  flare.  All  the  rest  is  dim  and  picturesque,  with 
hanging  lamp  or  lantern ; and  they  go  to  bed  early.  You 
think  afterward  of  the  lines  of  busy  streets,  and  you  are 
aware  that  the  roofs  stand  out  as  the  most  pictorial  thing 
after  the  varied  shop  fronts. 

In  Tokyo,  Kyoto,  Osaka,  all  the  larger  cities,  the  little 
houses  have  heavy  rooftrees,  curved  roofs  and  wide,  over- 
hanging eaves,  all  in  tiles  of  a leaden  bronze ; nearly  all 
detached,  they  break  the  skyline  finely.  In  the  country 
villages  nearly  all  the  roofs  are  of  thatch  of  barley  or  rice 
straw,  and  the  hea^y  rooftree  is  often  represented  by  a 
heavy  box  of  wood  filled  with  earth  and  overflowing  with 
flowers — a pretty  custom  surely.  We  will  not  talk  of  the 


1.  THE  ROOFS  OF  THE  ONE  AND  TWO-STORIED  HOUSES 
STRETCHING  MILES  IN  THE  BUSINESS  STREETS  OF  TOKYO 

2.  LITTLE  SHOPS  IN  KYOTO 


1 MAKING  STRAW  MATS 

2.  CARTENTKRS  AT  WORK.  THE  MOTIONS  OF  SAW.  PLANE, 
AND  ADZE  ARE  TOWARD  THE  BODY 


NO  “ASIATIC  MYSTERY”  HERE 


11 


homes  of  luxury  now,  the  palaces  of  sovereign  or  nobles  or 
the  palatial  homes  of  the  rich,  but  hie  us  for  a glimpse  of 
the  ordinary  landscape  of  agricultural  Japan. 

Here  is  a marvel  of  farming,  or  is  it  gardening?  There 
are  5,500,000  farming  households,  and  it  will  astound  the 
American  farmer  to  learn  that  the  average  small  farmer 
has  one  cho  of  land,  or  about  two  and  one-half  acres ; that 
many  have  only  half  a cho,  and  manage  to  live  on  that. 
The  arable  land,  only  fifteen  per  cent,  on  the  main  island  of 
Hondo,  for  the  most  part  lies  in  narrow  valleys  between 
fantastic,  volcanic  hills.  Every  available  inch  of  the 
bottom  land  is  divided  into  tiny  squares,  like  a great  scrap 
bag  counterpane  of  living  green  and  yellow  and  silver,  for 
rice  that  is  grown  in  watered  spaces  and  barley  or  wheat 
that  is  grown  on  strips  raised  a foot  or  two  above  the  rice 
fields.  And  every  farmer  has  his  little  patches  of  this  or 
that,  sometimes  five  little  crops  including  tea.  And  on 
the  hillsides  the  land  is  terraced  at  infinite  pains  often  to 
the  very  summit,  and  all  alive  with  green  and  gold. 

And  who  is  the  Japanese  who  does  all  this  in  city  and 
field,  in  shop  and  factory,  and  studies  in  university  and 
laboratory,  in  fishery  and  in  mine,  in  battle  on  sea  and  on 
land,  in  bank  and  counting  house?  Why,  he  is  a sturdy, 
slightly  gold-tinted  man,  of  oval  head,  black  hair  and  black 
or  dark-brown  eyes.  His  average  height  is  five  feet  two  to 
three  inches.  He  is  sometimes  as  tall  as  six  feet,  some- 
times as  short  as  four  feet  nine  inches.  By  and  large  he 
is  a man  all  through,  stout  of  leg,  full  of  chest,  fairly  strong- 
armed,  often  with  small  hands  and  taper  fingers.  He  is 
lithe  and  capable  of  prolonged  effort. 

He  is  generally  a good-looking,  open-faced  chap.  There 
is  a clear,  long-headed  aristocratic  type,  very  distinguished ; 
there  is  a strong,  square  face  with  high  cheek  bones  who 
may  be  business  man  or  may  be  politician  of  a new  and  not 
always  pleasant  type.  There  is  a coarse-faced,  thick- 


12 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


lipped  type.  There  is  a distinct,  more  delicately  formed 
but  not  at  all  weak  scholar  type  in  rapid  formation. 
Finally  his  wife  and  his  daughter  are  something  shorter 
in  inches  than  he  is;  but  they  have  definite  charm  that  is 
not  his. 

And  thus,  side  by  side,  let  me  leave  them  for  the  present, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Japan  with  their  hopeful  boy  in  peaked  cap 
and  white-speckled  blue  blouse  and  charming  little  flower 
of  a daughter — the  types  of  the  coming  Japan.  They  are 
not  without  their  faults,  but  they  have  shining  virtues. 


CHAPTER  II 


FARMERS  AND  FISHERS  OF  JAPAN 

They  feed  56,000,000 — Hard  work  and  cheerful  toil — In  the  rice 
fields — A farmhouse — The  draft  of  fishes — A fishing  village — 
Professor  Nitobe  on  the  food  of  the  people. 

Yamato  is  an  ancient  poetical  descriptive  name  for  Japan 
— the  Mountain  Land.  The  series  of  islands  that  compose 
Japan  proper  lie  in  a curve  off  the  eastern  coast  of  Asia. 
There  are  518  of  them,  great  and  small,  but  the  three  main 
islands  cover  127,744  square  miles,  and  these  are  the  real 
Japan,  or  Nippon,  as  the  Japanese  prefer  to  say.  They 
contain  the  great  cities  and  ports  and  the  bulk  of  the 
56,000,000  population. 

All  that  Japan  has  achieved  of  greatness  has  come  out  of 
these  three  islands;  indeed,  nearly  four-fifths  of  it  out  of 
Hondo,  the  largest  island,  and  it  is  with  that  we  have 
to  deal.  Of  its  population  three-fourths  are  on  the  land 
and  the  balance  in  the  towns.  Upon  the  able  shoulders  of 
this  peasantry  has  rested  from  the  beginning  the  feeding  of 
the  nation  as  well  as,  at  the  last  analysis,  the  providing 
of  the  hard  coin  and  the  men  with  which  battles  are 
fought. 

When  you  go  up  and  down  the  land  with  wide-open  eyes 
your  wonder  grows  that  this  can  have  been  accomplished. 
Of  the  entire  country  only  fifteen  per  cent,  is  arable  land 
— about  20,000  square  miles.  The  islands  are  volcanic;  a 
glance  almost  anywhere  will  tell  you  that.  Fantastic 
peaks  rise  on  all  sides,  in  groups,  in  ranges,  or  isolated, 
like  Fuji,  the  greatest  of  them  all.  Valleys  are  almost 

13 


14 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


always  narrow.  There  are  a few  plains,  mostly  coastal, 
where  the  wash  down  from  the  hills  has  raised  the  land 
precariously  above  the  sea. 

It  is  a land  of  earthquakes.  It  has  active  volcanoes ; one 
devastated  an  island  in  Kyushu  and  covered  the  town  of 
Kagoshima  with  ashes  in  1913.  Professor  Omori,  the  great 
seismologist  of  the  Tokyo  University,  assured  me  that 
Japan  as  a whole  was  reasonably  sure  to  remain  above 
water,  although  the  great  quake  line  of  fissure  extends 
along  its  Pacific  side,  as  it  does  along  the  Pacific  coast  line 
of  the  American  continents  from  the  Aleutian  Islands  to 
Chile.  Yet  to  the  unaccustomed  eye  the  sharp  unrounded 
points,  the  precipitous  cliffs,  the  clear  trace  of  lava  flows, 
the  masses  of  broken  stone  found  under  the  top  soil  of 
many  hills,  looking  like  wholesale  rock  eruptions  of  yes- 
terday, seem  to  portend  similar  intestinal  disturbances  of 
Old  Earth  for  tomorrow.  Still,  one  takes  some  comfort 
in  the  thought  that  this  doubtful  appearance  of  stability 
has  been  preserved  for  some  two  thousand  years  of  history 
and  tradition,  and  hence  one  plucks  up  courage  to  order 
one ’s  breakfast  for  the  morrow  without  too  much  mistrust. 

The  peasant  has  no  such  misgivings ; for  him  they  are  the 
eternal  hills  and  he  uses  them  and  the  fertile  valleys  for 
his  purposes  with  a delightful  rustic  faith.  His  skies  are 
oftener  clouded  than  clear.  One  day  in  three  of  the  year 
it  rains,  so  he  has  generally  water  enough  for  all  purposes. 
With  his  ready  adaptability  he  is  everywhere  harnessing 
the  falling  water  to  make  electric  power,  and  hence  it  is  no 
longer  a marvel  to  see  whole  towns  and  villages  using 
electric  light.  In  spring  and  early  summer  the  hills  fairly 
gush  with  water.  The  summer  sun  is  hot  and  so  the  con- 
ditions for  rice  growing  are  widespread  and  excellent. 

Rice  is  the  foundation  of  the  food  supply  of  the 
Japanese.  This  he  supplements  with  barley  and  beans. 
Poorer  he  perforce  eats  much  millet,  a less  acceptable  grain. 


FARMERS  AND  FISHERS  OF  JAPAN 


15 


Wheat  he  grows  in  small  but  increasing  quantity.  With 
these  and  a respectable  array  of  vegetables  he  eats  fish. 
Meat  is  rare  indeed.  A chicken  perhaps  for  a feast  day, 
but  these  when  he  raises  them  he  prefers  to  sell.  He 
drinks  tea. 

To  pass  through  the  country  as  I did  in  springtime, 
particularly  where  the  valleys  widen,  as  in  the  lands  near 
Nagoya,  is  to  see  the  country  blooming  like  a garden  of 
the  Lord.  The  little  parallelograms,  rhomboids  and 
hexagons  of  cultivation  on  the  slope  of  every  hill  and  on 
terraces  often  to  the  tops  of  the  hills  made  delightful 
patterns  of  colour.  They  do  not  cultivate  where  the  hill 
slope  is  more  than  fifteen  per  cent.  In  the  lower  lands  the 
peasants  were  working  in  silvery  water  to  their  knees  in 
the  paddy  fields  getting  ready  for  the  rice  transplanting, 
while  hard  by  a little  square  of  the  tender  sprouts  in  vivid 
emerald-green  was  watched  by  a boy  or  girl  to  keep  off 
the  birds. 

It  w^as  not  as  though  any  one  considerable  stretch  of  soil 
was  given  to  one  crop.  These  little  farms,  it  must  be 
remembered,  scarcely  ever  exceed  two  and  a half  acres; 
they  are  often  only  one  acre  and  they  are  not  always  in 
one  parcel.  The  lot  of  land  may  be  made  up  of  three  or 
four  separate  patches.  In  many  a sunlit  patch  I have  seen 
little  rice  fields  and  little  barley  fields  side  by  side — the 
barley  rows  raised  a foot  or  more  above  the  rice  field  and 
picked  clean  of  weeds,  which  they  religiously  save  and  bury 
as  fertilizers.  Running  down  the  length  of  the  patch  were 
double  rows  of  mulberries  and  on  a little  sun-fronting  knoll 
was  the  rounded  dark  green  of  a score  or  so  of  tea  plants 
and  women  with  straw  hats  and  baskets  picking  the  leaves. 

Here  and  there  on  the  hillsides  were  masses  and  tufts  of 
brick-red  and  scarlet  wild  azaleas,  while  on  the  steeper  hills 
and  dotting  the  valleys  small  groves  and  groups  of  dark 
young  firs  and  pines  and  the  soft  brownish-green  of  the 


16 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


feathery  bamboos — the  fine  lady  of  grasses — helped  to  fill 
the  picture.  Amid  the  little  oblongs  of  rice  and  barley 
some  were  sown  with  a cloverlike  plant  full  of  blossoms 
of  a bluish  pink,  very  gay  to  the  eye  under  the  grey  and 
white  of  the  sky  that  here  and  there  gave  a glimpse  of 
blue,  complementing  the  yellowing  barley,  the  dark  green 
of  the  tea  shrubs  and  the  rich  brown  of  the  mountain 
rising  clear. 

The  farmhouses  cluster  in  villages,  few  living  isolated 
as  our  farmers  love  to  do.  These  sad  grey  hamlets,  roofed 
in  grey  thatch,  stand  oftenest  against  the  skyline  of  a low 
hill.  They  live  thus  together  for  company  and  convenience, 
and  in  older  days  for  protection.  For  300  miles  up  and 
down  Hondo  you  can  see  this  minute  cultivation  in  action 
and  may  never  encounter  even  a ten-acre  field. 

I have  seen  such  farming  subdivision  along  the  gentle 
rolling  hills  of  Normandy,  but  in  bottom  and  upland  there 
great  meadows  spread  out  green,  with  well-kept  cattle 
browsing.  Not  here.  No  cattle  are  in  sight ; an  ox  at  the 
plough  perhaps  in  every  three  miles.  Very  few  horses, 
but  on  every  road  and  every  path  the  peasants,  men  and 
women  and  sturdy  boys,  all  carrjdng  burdens  to  or  from 
the  fields,  else  drawing  the  universal  two-wheel  cart  drawn 
or  pushed  by  two  or  three. 

I wanted  to  get  closer  to  this  life  of  toil,  and  many  a ride 
and  walk  and  rest  our  little  party  took  along  the  roads  and 
through  the  villages,  chatting  with  the  peasants,  men 
and  women,  and  finding  them  all  at  first  rather  shy  of 
foreigners.  But  the  dullest  creature  can  recognize  a 
friendly  face,  and  in  the  end  we  won  welcome  everywhere. 
Here  is  a village  where  little  one-story  houses  are  strung 
along  the  road,  maybe  twenty  of  them,  and  a few  standing 
further  back. 

Here  where  the  good  wife  welcomes  us  let  us  enter,  first 
telling  you  that  the  habit  of  squatting  on  the  floor  removes 


1.  PLANTING  THE  YOUNG  RICE 

2.  CLEANING  AND  POUNDING  RICE 


FISHING  VILLAGE  SNAPSHOTS 


FAEMERS  AND  FISHERS  OF  JAPAN 


17 


tlie  necessity  for  chairs  and  tables,  and  a purely  Japanese 
house  in  any  grade  of  poverty  or  luxury  rather  takes  you 
aback  with  its  absence  of  furniture.  Instead,  except  in  the 
extremely  rare  eases  of  great  squalor,  the  floors,  raised 
about  a foot  above  the  ground  level,  are  covered  with  soft, 
smooth  straw  mats,  on  which  with  various  changes  of 
appurtenance  you  sit,  read,  write,  work,  eat,  drink  and 
sleep.  A very  rich  man  showed  me  his  bedroom;  it  was 
empty  save  for  a small  screen  that  stood  folded  against  the 
wall.  In  the  walls  are  closets  behind  the  sliding  doors, 
and  servants  transform  it  to  a sleeping  place  in  a twinkling. 
Hence  as  we  entered  this  humble  village  three-roomed  hut 
with  a small  barn  at  the  back  we  did  not  look  for  furni- 
ture. 

Here  was  a family  of  seven  at  its  evening  meal,  father, 
mother,  son,  daughter-in-law  and  three  children,  and  a 
cheerful,  courteous,  pleasant  lot  they  were.  They  were 
seated  variously  on  the  edge  of  the  mats  along  the  passage 
that  ran  through  the  house,  their  feet  on  the  ground,  or 
squatted  comfortably  in  the  room,  their  bowls  of  rice  and 
small  cups  of  tea  beside  them.  The  mother  was  helping 
them  to  hot  miso  (bean)  soup  and  they  were  eating  as  if 
they  enjoyed  it. 

In  the  centre  of  the  nearest  living  room  was  the  fireplace, 
a two-foot  square  opening  in  the  matted  floor,  half  filled 
apparently  with  ashes,  but  with  a red  charcoal  glow  show- 
ing in  spots,  over  it  standing  a steaming  kettle,  for  they 
were  just  going  to  brew  the  tea.  But  the  solid  cooking  was 
not  done  there.  There  was  a rice  pot  over  a fire  in  the 
passage.  They  had  a plate  of  small  brown  bean  cakes  in 
little  lumps  and  the  children  were  munching  them. 

Would  I try  one?  Of  course  I would.  It  was  a little 
tough  and  tasteless  but  seemed  to  be  good  rich  food.  That 
pleased  them  all  immensely.  They  talked  of  the  crops  and 
the  weather  as  farmers  do  everyw'here,  with  that  constant 


18 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


desire  to  have  rain,  sun  and  wind  more  accommodating 
than  they  usually  are. 

“And  how  much  do  you  get  from  your  farm?”  I asked. 

The  mother  replied  with  a proud  toss  of  the  head  of 
conscious  prosperity,  “Twenty-five  bales  of  rice  and  forty 
bales  of  barley.” 

Yet  that  was  not  so  much  for  a family  of  seven  working 
their  own  ground.  It  would  mean  at  that  time  about  $190 
in  American  gold.  Of  course  they  grew  a good  deal  of 
their  food,  but  they  had  to  buy  a deal,  a cheaper  rice,  for 
instance,  than  they  were  growing,  all  the  fish  and  clothes; 
perhaps  some  fertilizer  and  the  hundred  little  things  an 
active  household  needs,  and  then  some  taxes.  This  was  a 
prosperous  farmer  in  Japan.  There  are  perhaps  5,000,000 
such. 

Anything  better  than  the  confident,  courageous  spirit  of 
these  people  it  would  be  hard  to  meet.  They  talk  with 
enthusiasm  of  their  hopes  and  their  accomplishments. 
They  had  no  horse,  no  cow,  some  chickens.  They  had 
enough.  They  worked  from  sunrise  to  sunset,  using  every- 
thing, wasting  nothing,  with  meticulous  care  of  every  scrap. 
When  not  at  work  in  the  fields  they  make  things  for  field 
work  at  home. 

The  women  when  not  at  work  on  the  farm  cooked, 
mended,  made  garments,  cleaned,  swept,  using  home-made 
brooms.  The  round  of  work  for  the  year  is  set  like  a 
ritual — the  succession  of  crops,  the  sowing,  the  hoeing,  the 
weeding,  the  building  up  of  soil  in  very  wet  lands  for 
wheat  or  barley.  Men  and  women  work;  children  too 
when  not  at  school  in  the  village.  Women  mostly  reap  the 
crops  with  a hand  sickle,  the  boys  beat  the  ears  off  in  the 
fields,  the  men  all  take  turns  in  cleaning,  all  hands  help  at 
the  hauling.  It  is  not  toil  but  victory. 

Let  us  look  a little  closer  at  this  hard-won  wooden  home 
of  toil  which  still  shelters  content,  though  it  may  not 


FARMERS  AND  FISHERS  OF  JAPAN 


19 


harbour  there  forever.  On  the  left  of  the  passage  already 
mentioned  are  a little  storeroom,  a large  pot  and  a small 
stove  and  places  for  kitchen  work.  On  the  wall  near  the 
storeroom  is  the  little  sacred  family  shrine,  a small  bottle 
with  a flower  in  it,  some  tablets  to  the  dead  of  the 
family,  some  offerings  of  food  and  drink  for  the  departed. 
Touching,  surely,  these  simple  peasants,  loving,  honouring 
and,  alas,  fearing  the  spirits  of  their  family  dead,  as  if  they 
were  the  dead  of  an  imperial  line. 

On  the  right  of  the  passage  were  the  living  rooms,  the 
mats  yellow  with  age  and  use,  but  unbroken.  The  further 
room  contained  a chest  of  drawers  to  hold  the  best  clothes 
of  the  family,  the  tokonoma  or  recess  in  which  hangs  a 
scroll  picture  called  the  kakemono.  It  was  a best  room,  as 
one  would  say,  where  the  women  of  the  house  would  receive 
their  women  friends.  The  real  family  life  went  on  in  the 
two  rooms  that  formed  an  L about  the  best  room. 

In  the  second  room  along  the  passage  there  were  a low 
dresser  for  the  family  crockery,  a little  foot-high  table 
about  eighteen  inches  square  in  a corner  and  perhaps  half 
a dozen  faded  floor  cushions.  It  is  in  those  two  rooms, 
their  feet  toward  the  fire,  that  the  family  spread  their 
comfortables  at  night  and  sleep  the  sleep  of  the  weary 
but  hopeful.  So  you  see  the  furniture  required  is  not 
enough  to  keep  the  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  factories  going. 

Hung  all  about  the  storeroom  and  the  barn  were  the 
implements  and  devices  for  agriculture,  the  heavy  single- 
bladed  hoe  for  digging,  the  three-prong  hoe  for  breaking 
the  soil,  many  sizes  and  kinds  of  sickles,  knives,  pruning 
hooks,  all  with  straight  handles  and  curved  blades  set  at 
right  angles.  In  the  barn  were  the  huge  wooden  mallet 
and  the  great  mortar  for  pounding  rice,  a yoke,  mostly  used 
by  women  for  carrying  burdens  on  the  back,  straw  sacks 
with  cups  for  rice,  fibre  raincoats,  flails  of  most  ancient 
make. 


20 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


It  would  seem  that  they  made  by  hand  every  rope  and 
wooden  tool  they  used  in  their  work.  In  the  yard  at  the 
back  was  a well.  Against  the  wall  of  the  house  was  the 
large  tall  tub  in  which  the  whole  family  would  presently 
take  their  hot  water  plunge ; the  fire  already  alight  beneath 
it.  Let  us  hope  they  enjoyed  it;  it  appears  to  be  one  of 
the  great  solaces  of  Japanese  life. 

In  many  inland  villages  this  was  repeated  with  some 
variations,  but  as  grain  is  one  side  of  Japanese  alimentation 
and  fish  the  other,  and  the  fishing  industry  along  all  the 
coasts  of  Japan  employs  nearly  a million  men  exclusively 
engaged  in  it  and  a million  and  a half  partly  engaged, 
it  is  worth  attention.  The  yearly  catch  reaches  $40,000,000 
and  marine  products  $20,000,000  more. 

No  one  who  has  sailed  along  the  coasts  of  Japan  can 
dissociate  them  with  the  swarms  of  fishing  boats  large  and 
small  in  groups  of  twenty  or  more — there  are  over  400,000 
of  them — lug  sails,  sloop  sails  or  junk  sails  set,  or  men 
toiling  at  the  oars  up  to  fifteen  miles  out,  and,  with  some 
of  the  larger  boats,  further  still.  I recall  my  surprise  at 
passing  one  craft  with  seven  stalwart  men,  naked  except 
for  loin  cloths,  standing  on  a platform,  three  to  a side  and 
one  at  the  stern,  and  handling  large  fiat  sweeps,  the  oars 
finding  leverage  on  a sort  of  outrigger  platform  above  the 
rail.  It -was  a splendid  primitive  picture  of  superb, 
bronzed  bodies  in  powerful  muscular  action  as  the  heavy, 
clumsy  boat  responded  sluggishly  to  their  efforts.  It 
might  have  been  drawn  off  this  same  coast  a thousand  years 
ago.  There  seemed  to  be  no  trace  of  a sail.  TVhat  a 
canvas  it  would  make  for  a lord  of  the  brush  as  it  swung 
through  the  heavy  seas  that  slapped  and  foamed  about  its 
blunt,  strong  bow ! 

Of  late  years  the  catch  off  Japan  has  been  falling  some- 
what, but  off  Korea  since  the  annexation  the  gain  has  been 
very  great.  There  are  hundreds  of  varieties  of  edible  fish 


‘■THE  TLOL’GIIMA.N  HOMEWAKI)  I'l.ODS  HIS  WEARY  WAV 


FARMERS  AND  FISHERS  OF  JAPAN 


21 


taken  in  these  waters.  Of  these  the  tai — associated  with 
our  bream — is  king.  Its  meat  is  as  fine  as  sea  bass.  It 
runs  up  to  three  or  four  pounds.  It  is  used  not  only 
cooked  in  all  ways,  but  also  for  the  sliced  raw  fish  served 
at  the  tables  of  the  well-to-do,  where  it  is  eaten  with  shoyu 
Sauce  quickened  with  horseradish,  making  for  many  a 
refinement  on  the  oyster.  I enjoyed  it  that  way,  indeed 
in  all  ways. 

The  sea  takes  heavy  yearly  toll  of  the  fishermen.  Storms 
come  up  suddenly,  and  small  boats  are  swamped  and  larger 
boats  are  engulfed  with  all  hands.  In  drowned  and 
missing,  that  fearful  word  for  the  farer  of  the  sea,  over 
a thousand  perish  every  year.  It  is  one  of  the  hazards  of 
the  game.  So  fishermen’s  widows  abound  in  fishing  vil- 
lages, and  orphans  too.  But  with  the  latter  the  case  is  not 
so  bad.  As  a hardy  young  fellow  said  to  me  in  a little  fish- 
ing village  called  Kotsubo,  or  Red  Bluff,  near  Kamakura: 
“We  have  as  large  families  as  we  can,  because  the  boats 
must  be  manned,  and  when  a man  is  lost  at  sea  everybody 
wants  to  adopt  his  children.  ’ ’ 

“Entirely  for  the  future  profit  in  it?”  I inquired. 
“No,  not  all;  we  are  a small  village  here  and  we  have 
pity  on  the  misfortunes  of  our  brothers.” 

So  be  it — pity  first  and  profit  later. 

The  village  in  question  is  a good  type.  It  nestles  in  a 
little  bay  between  two  promontories.  The  little  beach  is 
not  more  than  a quarter  of  a mile  long  and  bows  inward 
in  a graceful  curve,  the  frontage  of  sand  rising  piled  up 
landward  till  it  makes  some  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  above 
the  water.  The  houses  number  over  250,  most  of  them 
little  more  than  unpainted  wooden  huts  whose  sides  and 
roofs  had  weathered  to  silver-grey.  They  are  perched  in 
a long  street  on  rising  ground  with  six  or  seven  persons 
to  a house,  so  the  inhabitants  number  about  1,500  and  send 
700  men  to  sea  in  250  boats.  They  have  also  some  half- 


22 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


dozen  good-sized  schooners  that  go  as  much  as  300  miles 
after  large  fish,  “as  far  as  the  Bonin  Islands.” 

With  the  exception  of  the  crew  of  a schooner  lying 
beached,  whose  sides  they  were  washing,  the  male  adults 
of  the  village  were  in  the  fleet  of  boats  that  lay  from  a 
mile  to  five  miles  off  shore.  The  women,  busy  one  way  or 
another  with  the  fishing  business,  were  everywhere  visible, 
cheery  and  active,  gossipping  over  their  shoulders  as  they 
carried  baskets  or  babies  on  their  backs.  The  little  chil- 
dren took  great  joy  observing  the  “big  foreigner.” 

The  scene  seaward  was  full  of  beauty,  the  spread  of 
ocean  in  every  shade  of  green  deepening  to  the  blue  and 
purple  beyond.  Over  the  headland  in  the  distance  high 
in  air  shone  Mount  Fuji,  still  wearing  her  silver  crown  of 
snow  against  the  soft  blue  sky,  with  Enoshima  Islands 
below  and  to  the  left. 

I got  a few  small  photographs  and  I wanted  another 
greatly.  As  I turned  toward  the  houses  I saw  approaching 
a handsome-faced  woman  of  the  village,  unusually  tall,  a 
fine  form  showing  through  her  close-clinging,  breeze-blown 
drapery  of  some  soft  texture  that  wrinkled  as  she  moved 
in  wonderful  little  rippling  folds.  Her  step  was  long  and 
bold  and  her  ankles  bare.  She  bore  a basket  on  her  back 
and  in  her  hand  a tall  staff.  Some  soft  white  cloth  was 
around  her  hair.  She  made  a surprisingly  beautiful  pic- 
ture as  she  came  royally  over  the  sands — something  of  the 
dignity  and  much  of  the  figure  of  the  Venus  de  Milo. 

I reached  for  the  camera,  but  a number  of  elderly  women 
sitting  in  a group — envious  old  persons — shouted  something 
to  her.  She  turned  startled  eyes  on  me ; ran  over  to  them 
and  slipped  down  to  the  sand.  Alas! 

Off  the  beach  were  a score  of  great  baskets  six  feet  across 
in  which  they  keep  live  fish.  Sardines  are  netted  close  in ; 
octopus  are  taken  in  earthen  jars  into  which  they  crawl  and 
from  which  they  are  loath  to  come  out  and  be  eaten.  Tai 


FARMERS  AND  FISHERS  OF  JAPAN 


23 


is  found  fifteen  miles  out,  and  suzuki,  also  a good  fish,  not 
so  far.  About  sixty  fish  dealers  take  the  catch  to  town, 
showing  how  every  industry  is  subdivided  in  Japan. 

Professor  Inazo  Nitobe,  who  lectured  in  America  so  suc- 
cessfully two  years  ago,  is  living  here  in  Tokyo  now.  As 
part  of  his  general  high  scholarship  he  is  a great  authority 
on  alimentation,  and  I cannot  do  better  than  close  this 
chapter  with  the  result  of  a talk  with  him  on  the  foodstuffs 
of  Japan. 

“It  has  been  said  that  the  Japanese  nation,  and  in  par- 
ticular the  workingman,  lives  on  rice  and  that  this  is  the 
national  staff  of  life.  While  it  is  true  that  in  quantity 
rice  forms  the  principal  part  of  their  meals,  still  the 
Japanese  worker  could  not  do  without  ‘miso,  ’ a ferment  of 
beans  and  barley  usually  served  in  the  foi’m  of  soup  with 
some  pickled  white  radish  called  ‘daikon.’ 

“The  workingmen  say  that  no  matter  how  many  bowls 
of  rice  they  may  consume  at  breakfast,  without  miso  they 
would  not  be  strong  enough  to  do  a hard  day’s  work. 
This,  it  has  recently  been  discovered,  is  based  on  scientific 
grounds,  for  without  miso  their  breakfast  would  consist 
entirely  of  hydrocarbons,  starchy  heat-producing  elements, 
and  the  miso  being  composed  of  fermented  beans  and  barley 
supplies  the  nitrogenous  elements  that  give  strength  and 
energy  to  the  human  frame. 

“Pish  both  cooked  and  raw  is  also  an  important  food 
element  that  the  Japanese  requires  for  his  lunch  and 
supper.  This,  like  miso,  is  a food  that  supplies  the  nitroge- 
nous elements,  and  so  in  the  Japanese  dietary  there  is 
preserved  a proper  balance  between  the  starchy  and  the 
nitrogenous  foods. 

“Living  on  these  foods  develops  a great  liking  for  daikon, 
the  pickled  white  radish,  something  that  foreigners  find 
unpleasant  to  eat.  It  has  been  found  to  contain  a good 
deal  of  diastase,  which  is  a great  aid  in  the  digestion  of 


24 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


starchy  foods,  as  it  assists  in  the  conversion  of  starch  into 
sugar,  which  is  very  necessary  when  rice  forms  so  large  a 
part  of  their  meals.  Green  tea,  without  milk  or  sugar,  is 
consumed  at  every  meal,  and  this  is  undoubtedly  the  purest 
and  least  harmful  form  of  tea. 

“From  the  foregoing  it  can  be  seen  that  the  Japanese 
have  unconsciously  been  living  on  a very  well  balanced  diet 
that  supplies  the  food  elements  in  proper  proportion.  The 
average  diet  of  the  Japanese  workingman  would,  therefore, 
be  something  as  follows : 

“Breakfast — Rice,  miso,  daikon,  tea. 

“Lunch — Rice,  daikon,  fish,  tea. 

“Supper  (the  principal  meal) — Rice,’daikon,  vegetables, 
fish,  tea. 

“Cups  of  green  tea  are  consumed  during  the  day. 

“Much  of  the  Japanese  food  is  flavoured  with  ‘catsu- 
bushi,  ’ a piece  of  bonito  fish  that  is  steamed  and  dried  until 
it  is  as  hard  as  wood.  Small  shavings  are  made  of  this  by 
drawing  it  over  a machine  that  looks  something  like  a plane 
that  is  used  for  smoothing  lumber,  with  this  difference,  that 
the  machine  is  turned  upside  down  and  remains  stationary 
while  the  piece  of  ‘catsubushi’  about  four  or  five  inches  in 
length  and  about  an  inch  thick  is  drawn  over  the  knife. 
The  flavour  that  the  shavings  give  to  Japanese  dishes  is 
much  liked  by  the  people,  but  it  seems  a little  monotonous 
to  the  foreigner. 

“This,  with  ‘shoyu,’  a sauce  made  from  salted  and 
fermented  barley,  in  taste  something  like  a mild  Worces- 
tershire, forms  practically  the  only  flavouring  used  in 
Japanese  cooking.  So  the  Japanese  have  in  all  probability 
adopted  the  simplest  and  least  modified  form  of  preparing 
and  serving  food.” 

Wherever  they  get  it  or  however  they  compound  it,  their 
food  furnishes  them  lots  of  steam,  with  enough  surplus  to 
cover  their  bones  nicely. 


CHAPTER  III 


SILK  AND  TEA  CULTURE 

1 Tender  care  of  the  silkworms — Mulberry  in  Japanese  style — A 
[ “ small  ” industry  with  great  results — Among  the  tea-pickers 

I The  magic  of  the  plucked  leaf — A love  song  in  the  fields. 

My  lady  clad  in  shimmering  silk  and  serving  tea  makes  a 
gratifying  picture  of  our  civilization  at  its  daintiest. 
Admiration  flutters  around  her ; my  lord  Love  sits  smiling 
at  her  feet ; and  every  one  of  the  nine  muses  has  something 
, to  say  about  her.  Her  native  grace,  her  charm  of  manner, 
her  gentle  tones,  all  count  for  something,  nay,  for  much; 
but  romance  rides  round  her  to  the  whispering  rustle  of 
her  gown,  and  a spiritual  essence  floats  from  the  tea  urn 
to  the  drinker  whom  it  subtly  intoxicates. 

Silk!  and  we  are  off  to  Samarcand,  to  Damascus,  to 
I Ispahan,  to  China,  to  Japan — the  light  of  the  harem,  the 
I dark  of  the  moon,  the  long  caravan,  the  trudging  camel,  the 
I streaming  banners,  the  imperial  halls  and  dark  liquid  eyes 
j gleaming — the  glistening  delight  of  the  luxurious. 

I Tea!  And  we  are  equally  off  on  wings  of  fancy  to 
China,  to  Japan,  to  India,  to  Ceylon  with  a vaporous 
I charm  that  seems  instinct  with  the  home  joys  of  the  world. 
^ And  here  we  are  in  Japan,  of  which  silk  is  the  great 
staple  for  export,  and  which  raises  it  in  the  homes  of 
I 175,000  families  to  the  value  of  $76,000,000 — 316,000  bales 
, — in  a year,  and  the  product  still  increasing. 

Silk  raising  is  such  a dainty  business ! Long  experience 
I proclaims  that  it  is  most  successful  when  conducted  on  a 
I small  scale.  However  well  modern  machinery  and  organi- 
! 25 


26 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


zation  may  deal  with  the  cocoons,  reeling  the  silk,  twisting 
the  yarns,  weaving  the  fabric,  the  production  of  the  cocoons 
must  remain  the  task  of  widely  scattered  households. 

In  effect,  silk  culture  is  generally  the  important  by-work 
of  the  farmers  engaged  in  it.  In  former  times  they  spun 
the  silk  themselves ; now  they  generally  sell  the  cocoons  and 
leave  the  after-process  to  larger,  concentrated  concerns. 
So  the  farmer,  his  little  wistful  wife,  his  dainty  daughters 
and  his  sons  become  the  admiring  slaves  of  his  royal  high- 
ness the  silkworm. 

First  must  the  farmer  see  to  it  that  his  mulberry  trees 
are  in  rich  leaf.  The  tree,  as  we  know  it  in  America,  with 
lateral  branches  and  true  arboreal  features,  is  not  at  all 
in  the  shape  in  which  the  Japanese  farmer  uses  it.  The 
trees  are  planted  in  rows  about  a foot  apart,  and  the  growth 
cut  off  to  within  a foot  of  the  ground.  From  the  stumps 
new  sprouts,  several  from  one  stem,  come  straight  up  five 
feet  high  in  a season.  These,  at  maturity  of  the  leaves,  are 
cut  off.  The  rods  are  stripped,  the  stalks  taken  out,  the 
leaves  shredded  in  a chopping  machine  and  then  sifted 
carefully  for  small  segments  of  stalk,  for  his  high  dainti- 
ness, the  worm,  must  get  nothing  but  the  rich,  the  ripe  and 
succulent.  It  is  on  this  attention  to  fine  detail  in  the  food 
of  the  little  silk  makers,  calling  for  unremitting  work,  that 
much  of  the  success  depends.  Only  a patient  people — 
patient  in  matters  of  daily  toil — can  succeed  in  it. 

I don’t  know  that  I need  tell  you  all  I learned  by  actual 
observation  among  the  silkworm  cultivators,  the  village 
workers  of  Japan.  You  will  find  most  of  it  in  the  text- 
books and  doubtless  the  encyclopaedias.  For  one  thing,  I 
think  that  the  culture  brings  out  a nicer  sense  of  the  kindly 
and  the  delicate  in  those  who  pursue  it  than  any  other 
employment,  even  flower  gardening.  Anyway,  when  a 
pretty  young  girl  in  a grey  kimono  makes  the  explanations 
and  exhibits  in  an  almost  loving  way  the  various  stages  of 


SILK  AND  TEA  CULTURE 


27 


worm  life  you  feel  you  have  a mission  in  life  to  let  the 
world  know  how  ignorant  you  were  of  silk  culture  before 
you  saw  her. 

First  the  shoji  or  sliding  door  of  a wooden  shed  was 
pushed  open,  revealing  a dusky  interior,  and  a boy  came 
carefully  forward  bearing  a tray  out  of  many  scores  seen 
dimly  on  racks  within.  The  tray  was  about  two  feet  by 
four,  covered  with  the  shredded  mulberry  leaves  and 
showing  the  silver-white  bodies  of  hundreds  of  silk- 
worms writhing  lazily  among  the  bright-green  shreds  of 
leaf. 

All  seemed  one  wriggling  mass  at  first,  but  the  dainty 
fingers  of  0 Suza  San  pointed  to  differences.  These  par- 
ticular worms,  two  inches  long,  she  said,  were  nearing  their 
fourth  sleep.  You  must  not  approach  too  close  to  them; 
they  are  sensitive  to  human  breath.  They  sicken  with  a 
blast  of  cold  air.  They  die  of  bad  odours. 

“They  take  cold,”  she  said. 

“Do  they  sneeze?”  I asked. 

“No;  they  do  not  sneeze,”  and  then  a sidelong  glance, 
as  if  asking  whether  I meant  it. 

I noticed  that  the  w’orms  had  faint  but  pretty  markings 
of  a yellowish  brown.  Ever  more  of  them  seemed  working 
up  to  the  surface  through  the  mulberry  leaves,  and  surely 
they  did  eat  voraciously,  their  little  jaws  closing  on  the 
juicy  scraps  like  little  pincers.  Listening  closely  one  heard 
a faint,  low  munching  sound  like  a whisper  of  mastication. 

“They  eat  like  that  all  the  time  for  five  days.  They 
must  be  fed  with  fresh  leaves  five  or  six  times  a day  and 
a couple  of  times  in  the  night.  Look,  here  is  one  gone 
I asleep.”  The  worm  in  question  had  raised  his  head  until 
I he  looked  like  a miniature  contour  of  the  raven  ships  of 
the  Norsemen  with  their  raised  figureheads,  and  so  he 
remained. 

“There  is  one  that  will  be  asleep  in  a few  minutes.” 


28  JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 

He  was  not  eating  but  swaying,  lifting  and  dropping  his 
head. 

“And  then  what?” 

“Then  he  will  be  transferred  to  make  his  cocoon.” 

It  takes  thirty-three  days  for  a worm,  from  the  time  it 
ceases  to  be  an  egg,  to  reach  the  making  of  its  cocoon. 
With  every  batch  of  worms  a certain  few  of  the  finest  are 
selected  for  breeding.  These  are  laid  aside,  and  the  butter- 
fly is  allowed  to  eat  its  way  out  of  the  completed  cocoon, 
which  it  does  after  twenty-one  days.  It  is  a handsome 
butterfly,  but  it  never  flies.  Without  any  feeding  they  are 
placed  in  little  round  boxes  one  and  one-half  inches  in 
diameter,  which  are  laid  in  rows  on  a sheet  of  thick  paper. 
There  they  lay  their  hundreds  of  eggs — little  dots — in 
concentric  circles. 

“Then  they  die,”  said  0 Suza  San  with  some  real  pity 
in  her  tone. 

Then  the  eggs  hatch,  and  the  resulting  little  thread-like 
worms  are  brushed  off  with  a fine  hair  brush,  placed  on  the 
tenderest  buds  of  the  mulberry,  and  at  once  begin  to  feed 
for  four  or  five  days  until  their  first  sleep.  They  sleep  two 
days,  and  then  repeat  the  sequence  a second,  third  and 
fourth  time.  They  grow  rapidly,  and  after  the  fourth 
sleep  they  are  fed  for  a week  and  are  ready  to  spin. 

Then  they  are  placed  on  mats  to  which  bent  straws  are 
fastened.  They  climb  the  straws  to  the  highest  point,  and 
there  they  begin  giving  forth  the  silk  in  a fine  golden 
stream  that  as  it  hardens  to  a thread  they  wind  about  them. 
He — or  is  it  she? — has  had  a grand  time  for  a month,  but 
that  is  the  end  of  him — or  her.  About  the  time  he  feels 
ready  to  come  out  the  cruel  farmer  will  place  him  in  a 
lethal  chamber,  where  he  will  be  heated  and  overheated  till 
he  gives  up  his  ghost,  but  then  the  glory  of  his  Silkiness 
begins,  for  0 Suza  San  or  some  other  fine-fingered,  cleai*- 
eyed  daughter  of  Japan  will  tear  off  the  outer  skin  of  the 


TAKIXCi  OI  T TIIK  S I . K K IM NC  SI  l.K.  WORMS 


1.  TEA  PICKING  AT  UJI 

2.  KNEADING  THE  TEA  LEAVES 


SILK  AND  TEA  CULTURE 


29 


cocoon  and,  finding  an  end  of  the  miraeulous  glistening 
thread,  ■will  place  it  in  a little  filature  machine  invented  in 
Italy  and  unwind  it  all  upon  a reel ; and  who  knows  what 
; queen  will  wear  it  on  her  breast  or  on  her  shapely  limbs? 

In  great  golden  hanks  the  yarn  is  made  up  for  export. 
The  cases  go  in  state  and  under  guard  to  the  greyhounds  of 
the  seas.  They  are  locked  in  separate  rooms  like  bullion. 
They  seem  almost  worth  their  weight  in  gold.  Japan 
makes  twenty-eight  per  cent,  of  the  silk  of  the  world,  and 
i almost  sixty  per  cent,  of  America’s  supply.  For  1915  she 
‘ sent  us  $63,000,000  worth  of  raw  silk  and  in  1916  on 
account  of  higher  prices  and  shortage  in  the  European 
supply,  the  golden  floss  to  the  value  of  $112,000,000. 

I'  If  not  exported  the  yarns  are  woven  in  Kyoto  or  else- 
I where,  and  the  wonderful  men  embroiderers  get  to  work 
and  make  patterns  and  pictures  fine  beyond  belief. 
Women  rave  over  them  and  men — buy  them. 

Meanwhile  the  farmer  has  doubled  the  output  of  his 
farm ; the  infinite  increasing  care  of  his  whole  household  is 
rewarded  and  poetry  has  somehow  entered  thousands  of 
lives,  for  the  girls  sing  pretty  songs  as  they  work  and  no 
woman  is  insensible  to  the  silken  lure. 

I saw  the  process  in  part  at  the  Government’s  experi- 
mental station  at  Tokyo,  where  they  seek  to  better  breeds 
and  increase  output  of  hatched  eggs ; where  ways  of 
filature  are  studied  and  the  most  suitable  mulberry  trees 
are  selected  for  varying  soils,  all  for  the  general  good,  and 
I marvelled  at  the  thoroughness  of  all  they  undertake ; but 
I preferred  roaming  through  the  sunny  villages  where  the 
j work  went  on,  resting  under  the  broad  eaves  of  little 
!|  houses  and  chatting,  albeit  at  second-hand,  with  genial 
i people  of  the  countryside. 

There  was  the  sturdy,  prosperous  Mr.  Ishigawa  of 
Tachigawa  village  and  his  wife  Kaneko,  a woman  about 
fifty,  with  the  most  benevolent  of  faces.  She  sat  barefoot 


30 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


on  the  mats  as  she  talked  and  pressed  food  upon  us.  She 
was  the  mother  of  six  children,  with  eleven  grandchildren 
at  present,  and  her  youngest  son  only  a month  or  two 
married.  The  young  couple  Avere  about  the  place,  bashful 
when  their  recent  marriage  Avas  alluded  to.  It  turned  out 
that  Mrs.  IshigaAva  had  A-olunteered  as  an  army  nurse 
during  the  Avar  Avith  Russia  and  had  endured  all  sorts  of 
discomforts  tending  the  sick  of  the  fleet  that  lay  off 
Vladivostok.  She  brought  us  her  photograph  in  her 
nurse’s  uniform. 

“My  mother’s  heart  Avent  out  to  the  suffering  boys”  was 
the  burden  of  her  explanations  of  Avhy  she  volunteered. 

“She  Avent  out  for  Dai  Nippon,”  said  the  husband, 
smiling,  manlike  preferring  the  patriotic  to  the  pitiful. 
He  admired  her  much  and  showed  it,  and  Avas  properly 
proud  to  be  a patriarch. 

He  had  been  raising  silkAvorms  for  a quarter  of  a century 
and  had  prospered.  He  Avas  evidently  the  rich  man  of  the 
village,  for  he  had  at  least  seven  acres  in  one  field  and  his 
mulberry  trees  only  filled  a part  of  it.  The  rest  of  it  was 
garden  stuff  Avhieh  he  raised  for  the  city  market.  He 
bought  cocoons  from  the  farmers  round  about  and  sold 
them  to  a large  concern  that  spun  the  silk  on  a large  scale 
in  a factory  near  Tokyo.  The  business  had  changed  much 
in  that  respect.  When  he  began  they  made  the  silk  yarn 
themselves. 

We  looked  all  over  his  silkworm  house,  his  machine  for 
shredding  leaves,  his  oven  for  killing  the  poor  worms,  and 
finally  he  insisted  on  our  taking  a paper  box  full  of  cocoons, 
which  is  a perplexing  part  of  my  baggage  to  this  day.  I 
don’t  knoAv  any  one  Avho  wants  a cocoon. 

Tea,  the  other  gi’eat  export  staple  of  Japan,  has  been 
idealized  as  highly  as  it  has  been  commercialized.  There 
is  a Avhole  Japanese  literature  devoted  to  the  glorification 
of  tea,  and  China  has  reams  of  poetical  and  philosophical 


SILK  AND  TEA  CULTURE 


31 


consideration  of  tea.  Okakura-Kakuzo  has  written  with 
delicate  humour  and  in  a precieuse  vein  “The  Book  of 
Tea.”  He  quotes  from  the  Chinese  poet,  Luwu,  who 
wrote  “The  Holy  Scripture  of  Tea,”  a description  of 
the  desirable  in  tea  leaves,  which  will  pretty  well  show  how 
far  Chinese  fancy  can  go.  The  best  quality  of  leaves  must 
have  “creases  like  the  leathern  boot  of  Tartar  horsemen, 
curl  like  the  dewlap  of  a bullock,  unfold  like  mist  rising 
out  of  a ravine,  gleam  like  a lake  touched  by  a zephyr  and 
be  wet  and  soft  like  fine  earth  newly  swept  by  rain.”  It 
might  be  all  this  and  yet  be  pretty  poor  tea. 

To  me  it  is  something  very  close  to  the  Universal  Mother. 
Consider  the  millions  of  pounds  of  tea,  each  pound  with  its 
uncounted  thousands  of  leaves.  Think,  then,  that  every 
leaf  of  all  the  tea  that  is  daily  consumed  by  a thousand 
million  people  in  the  four  quarters  of  the  world — that 
every  leaf  has  been  separately  plucked  from  the  stem 
between  the  fingers  and  thumb  of  a woman.  The  gesture 
becomes  sacrificial. 

The  first  time  I entered  a field  of  tea  it  was  not  where 
the  very  best  green  tea  is  grown  or  made ; but  for  animation 
it  was  the  same  thing,  even  more  so,  for  here  the  rounded 
shrubs  wei’e  in  the  open  air,  in  rows  with  plenty  of  space 
around  them.  Be  sure  the  Japanese  farmer  never  loses  an 
inch  of  ground.  If  the  distance  between  plants  seems 
excessive  he  has  had  it  proved  to  him  that  it  is  not. 

The  women,  young  and  old,  were  picking,  each  with  her 
basket,  their  heads  bobbing  as  they  bent  to  pluck;  some 
wore  the  conical  straw  hat,  but  most  a loose  bandeau  of 
white  or  blue  cloth.  All  were  jolly  about  it.  The  plucking 
season  is  short,  no  more  than  twenty-five  days  at  a time, 
and  all  the  women  of  the  countryside  who  can  spare  the 
time  join  the  pickers.  They  are  paid  by  the  basket  and 
the  quick-fingered  may  earn  fifty  to  seventy  sen  a day — 
pin  money,  or  chit  money,  as  they  say  out  here. 


32 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


It  is  only  the  new  green  leaves  that  must  be  taken,  as 
the  older,  dark  ones  have  no  market  value.  For  one 
season,  a bush  may  be  picked  two  or  three  times  for  new 
sprouting  leaves,  but  a period  is  reached,  and  then  the 
shrubs  are  trimmed  to  roundness  again,  and  all  is  over  for 
the  crop. 

They  were  singing,  now  singly,  now  a dozen  joining  as 
in  chorus.  It  sounded  mournful  until  you  caught  a twinkle 
of  the  eye  and  a laugh  over  the  words.  White  teeth 
gleamed  in  smiles  as  we  passed  by  them.  It  reminded  me 
of  the  girls  picking  hops  in  the  English  shires — the  heart 
of  youth  exuberant  in  the  sun  and  the  free  air. 

It  was  at  Uji,  near  Kyoto,  where  the  very  finest  tea  in 
all  Japan  is  grown  and  cured,  that  I witnessed  the  drying 
process  as  it  has  been  carried  on  for  hundreds  of  years 
with,  however,  modern  aids  creeping  into  service.  It  was 
in  the  little  factory  of  Mr.  Rihel  Tsugi,  who  owns  and 
farms  about  six  acres  of  the  finest  tea  land,  the  plants 
growing  like  tender  ladies  under  a roof  of  straw  matting 
upheld  by  poles. 

Mr.  Tsugi  makes  all  grades  of  fine  teas,  even  the  emerald- 
green  powdered  “ceremonial  tea,”  of  which  a mere  pinch 
would  make  a cup  of  tea  too  strong  for  anybody,  and  which 
sells  at  a forbidding  price.  Here  I may  say  parenthetically 
that  the  United  States  and  Canada  take  nearly  all  of 
Japan’s  export  of  green  tea,  to  the  value  of  over 
$16,000,000.  Ceylon  and  India  teas  have  been  fighting 
hard  for  the  American  market,  and  Japan  to  meet  the 
competition  has  been  pajdng  more  attention  to  the  growing 
of  black  tea  of  the  class  furnished  by  her  rivals.  The 
superior  theine  content  of  fine  Japanese  tea,  as  well  as  its 
lasting  flavour,  is  what  helps  it  to  hold  its  own.  Black  tea 
is  now  being  freely  grown  by  the  Japanese  in  Formosa. 

It  was  a beautiful  sunny  day  when  I went  into  the  little 
factory,  where  we  soon  discovered  it  was  warmer  than  out- 


SILK  AND  TEA  CULTURE 


33 


side,  for  here  were  some  dozen  men  in  loin  cloths  at  work 
over  large  trays  about  four  and  one-half  feet  by  two  and 
one-half,  kneading  the  leaves  that  had  already  been  steamed 
to  soften  them,  and  picked  over  by  a group  of  squatting, 
laughing  women  for  poor  leaves  and  stalks.  Under  eaeh 
tray  a small  charcoal  furnace  stands  about  a foot  below. 
The  toughened  paper  forming  the  bottom  of  the  trays  is 
so  hot  you  can  hardly  touch  it,  yet  these  men,  once  the  cast 
of  leaves  is  placed  before  them,  must  knead  and  turn  it 
endlessly,  bruising  the  dark  green  mass  till  it  glistens  and 
is  soft  and  pliable.  It  takes  two  hours.  Perspiration 
pours  from  them ; their  muscles  stand  out  like  cords.  It 
is  a strenuous  scene.  They  allowed  me  to  photograph  them 
— a time  exposure  for  which  they  paused  four  seconds. 
Even  at  that  one  man  could  not  wait  so  long,  and  blurred 
his  part  of  the  picture. 

After  the  kneading  the  tea  is  spread  out  on  pans  to  dry 
under  steam  heat,  is  whirled  in  a wide  centrifugal  machine, 
and  is  picked  over  again  for  stalks,  w’hich  they  call 
“bones.”  Once  the  tea  is  dried,  and  it  takes  a different 
length  of  time  according  to  the  quality,  it  is  passed  through 
a triturating  machine,  consisting  of  two  frames  of  wire- 
netting that  break  the  leaves  short  between  them.  They 
are  then  passed  over  a succession  of  dancing  sieves  worked 
by  machinery  for  grades.  There  is  no  dearth  of  water 
power  round  Kyoto,  so  no  coal  or  wood  is  necessary. 

For  ceremonial  tea  the  process  is  much  quicker.  Only 
I the  finest  leaf  is  used,  and  it  is  treated  in  a separate  room 
where  the  temperature  is  kept  at  150  degrees  Fahrenheit. 

I When  di’ied  it  is  ground  to  an  impalpable  powder.  The 
best  grade  was  sold  at  seventy-five  cents  American  per 
j pound.  It  is  packed  in  soldered  tin  eases. 

I Mr.  Tsugi,  over  a cup  of  his  best  tea,  introduced  us  to 
his  father  and  his  wife.  He  employs  about  120  hands  in 
the  season.  His  output  of  picked  leaves  is  about  25,000 


M 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


pounds.  In  the  curing  process  they  lose  eighty  per  cent, 
of  their  weight,  so  that  he  is  satisfied  to  get  thirteen  per 
cent,  of  marketable  tea. 

We  left  the  cheerful  household — all  fine  optimists — and 
went  out  a couple  of  niiles  to  the  tea  fields.  They  stretched 
all  over  the  country  under  a sea  of  yellow  straw  mats  that 
made  a golden  twilight  beneath.  We  entered  the  Tsugi 
field — a mystic  realm  it  seemed — and  noted  that  there  were 
a dozen  women  picking. 

With  a quick  jerk  they  took  off  the  proper  leaves  between 
finger  and  thumb,  slipping  them  into  the  palm  until  the 
hand  was  full,  when  they  dropped  them  in  the  basket. 
They  were  singing  when  we  entered,  but  stopped  as  soon 
as  they  saw  us.  It  required  much  coaxing  to  induce  them 
to  take  up  their  song.  At  last  one  braver  than  the  others 
said  “We’ll  have  a new  one”  and  began.  It  was  a wild, 
sweet  air,  not  unlike  “My  Lagan  Love”  that  John 
hlcCormack  sings  so  quaintly.  One  of  our  party  said  it 
sounded  like  a Buddhist  hjTnn.  I was  curious  to  know, 
and  a Japanese  who  knows  English  well  smiled. 

“It  is  not  a hymn;  it  is  a love  song.” 

By  this  time  all  the  women  were  singing  it,  not  pausing 
in  their  work,  and  the  wise  man  said,  ‘ ‘ I have  got  the  first 
stanza.  ” And  this  is  what  it  proved  to  be : 

The  sparrows  perch  on  the  bamboo  tree 
And  fly  away; 

But  once  love  perches  upon  my  heart, 

’Tis  there  for  aye. 

Fancy  that!  Out  under  the  straw  mats  among  the  tea 
plants  of  Uji  peasant  women  singing  the  song  that  Solomon 
sang ; the  song  that  shook  the  towers  of  Ilium  to  their  fall ; 
the  song  the  world  in  spite  of  the  cynics  is  singing  today. 


CHAPTER  IV 


I 


HOME  LIFE  IN  JAPAN 

Spotlessness  and  severe  plainness  the  note — Houses  without 
chairs  or  bedsteads,  the  fusuma,  the  tokonoma  and  kakemono 
— A wife’s  long  round  of  duties — Marriage  and  mothers-in- 
law — No  courtship — Easy  divorce — What  makes  against  social 
intimacy  with  foreigners. 

One  often  w^onders  on  meeting  foreigners  long  resident  in 
Japan  how  little  familiar  intercourse  they  have  had  with 
the  Japanese.  They  may  have  a quite  wude  business 
acquaintance  with  native  business  men,  but  Japanese  home 
life  is  almost  a sealed  book  to  them.  There  is,  for  one 
important  item,  the  linguistic  barrier.  The  foreigner, 
daunted  by  the  difficulties  of  Japanese  to  the  outsider, 
early  decides  not  to  study  the  language  seriously,  but  picks 
up  just  enough  of  the  idiom  to  “get  along”  with  servants, 
porters,  rickisha  men,  hotel  landlords  and  railroad  folk — 
and  “lets  it  go  at  that,”  withdrawing  so  far  as  he  can  into 
some  foreign  group  that  speaks  his  own  language.  With 
foreign  ladies  it  is  much  the  same,  although  in  their  case 
communion  with  Japanese  homes  and  home  bodies  is  likely 
to  be  limited  to  native  ladies  who  from  residence  abroad 
or  attendance  at  some  of  the  high  schools  in  Tokyo — Miss 
Tsuda’s  fine  school,  for  instance — can  converse  somewhat  in 
English  or  French.  Even  then  intercourse  is  restricted, 
for  Japanese  women,  except  among  the  very  rich,  have  little 
time  for  the  paying  of  visits  or  receiving  them. 

But  outside  of  this  there  are  obstacles  in  the  nature  of 
things.  The  two  civilizations  have  run  so  far  apart  in 

35 


36 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


home  architecture,  home  fitting  and  furnishing,  in  house 
custom  and  etiquette,  in  meals  and  meal  service  that,  with 
the  best  will  in  the  world  on  both  sides,  there  must  be 
considerable  gene. 

The  house  is  so  different  to  ours.  Nothing  can  surpass, 
I would  almost  say  approach,  the  spotlessness  of  a Japanese 
home  of  the  better  class,  but  you  must  think  of  a summer 
pavilion  to  get  an  idea  of  how  a private  house  in  Tokj'o 
differs  from  an  American  or  European  house.  It  does  not 
stand  on  the  street,  but  back  from  it  behind  a wall  with  a 
simple  gate  or  gate  and  portico  in  the  centre.  Then  there 
is  a house  portico  and  an  open  door  under  it.  Nowadays 
there  is  an  electric  bell  to  summon  the  servant,  who  appears 
on  her  knees  with  bowed  head  to  take  your  message  and 
your  card.  There  are  usually  some  flowers  or  greenery  in 
front,  but  the  garden  is  at  the  back.  The  house  is  built  of 
wood  on  a brick  or  stone  foundation,  and  its  rooms  through 
the  use  of  sliding  doors  or  “fusumas”  may  be  opened  one 
into,  or  cut  off  from,  the  other  in  a way  we  never  attempt, 
except  such  exclusion  as  we  get  with  folding  doors  or  the 
use  of  portieres. 

The  stairs — most  of  the  better  houses  are  two-storied  and 
no  more — are  apt  to  be  very  steep,  slippery  and  narrow 
and  without  hand  rail  or  balustrade.  The  steepness  of  the 
stairs  comes  from  the  immemorial  habit  in  Japan  of  making 
the  rise  and  tread  of  each  step  of  equal  height  and  width — 
generally  six  or  seven  inches.  Originally,  no  doubt,  they 
were  just  squared  six-inch  logs.  I always  dreaded  them, 
and  it  in  nowise  cheered  me  to  see  my  short-legged  friends 
— men,  women  and  children — skip  up  and  down  with  ease 
and  even  pleasure.  There  is  seldom  a room  that  is  exclu- 
sively sitting  room,  dining  room  or  even  bedroom,  except 
where  there  are  grown  daughters.  A man  possibly  eats  as 
well  as  sleeps  in  the  sitting  room.  Then  the  house  is 
entirely  bare  of  furniture,  as  we  understand  the  word — no 


MR.  llAVOKAWArS  IlOUSK  FROM  THE  GARDEN 

As  Showing  the  Skill  of  Japanese  Garileiiei's.  it  is  nolahle  that  this  was  Flntirely  liare  Ground  Five  Years 

liefore  'I'aking  I’ieture 


TIIK  DAIICUTKRS  OK  TIIK  llOtlSIC 


I 


HOME  LIFE  IN  JAPAN 


37  ■ 

chairs,  stools,  tables,  sideboards,  bedsteads,  desks,  hat- 
stands;  no  gilt-framed  pictures  on  the  walls.  The  latter 
are  bare,  and  inside  the  framework  of  pale-yellowish  fine- 
grained hinoki  wood  the  large  panels  are  covered  with 
heavy  paper  in  monochrome — like  our  cartridge  wall  paper 
— generally  of  grey  tint — oftenest  light,  occasionally  dark. 
Sometimes,  as  in  the  case  of  the  house  of  a multimillionaire 
I visited,  the  walls  of  a couple  of  parlours  are  covered  on 
two  or  even  three  sides  with  great  pictures  by  an  old 
master  in  black  and  white  and  grey — landscapes,  mountain, 
valley  or  river  or  sea — with  finely  wrought  effects  of  cloud 
and  rolling  mist.  The  gentleman  in  question  told  me  tha* 
he  had  designed  the  house  to  enshrine  the  pietui’es  fitly 
Of  course,  in  his  large  house  there  are  more  separate  bed- 
rooms, but  they  stood  bare  of  furniture  for  inspection, 

In  the  principal  rooms  there  is  an  alcove  or  recess  called 
the  tokonoma,  with  its  floor  slightly  raised  above  that  of 
the  room.  It  is  divided  into  two  parts  by  a pillar  of 
fine  dark  wood  and  the  recess  on  the  right  generally  holds 
a Japanese  cabinet  of  finely  fashioned  wood,  inlaid  perhaps 
with  mother  of  pearl  and  supporting  a single  art  object; 
it  may  be  a bronze  statuette  or  a marvellously  carved  box 
in  the  famous  red  lacquer.  In  the  recess  to  the  left  hangs 
on  the  wall  the  kakemono,  or  scroll,  which  generally  depicts 
a mountain  scene  or  sea  picture,  and  at  its  foot  stands  a 
vase  with  oftenest  a single  flower,  sometimes  with  two  or 
three  sprays,  but  always  in  artistic  balance.  To  vary  fre- 
quently the  scroll,  the  art  object,  the  vase  and  the  flower 
is  the  pride  of  the  lady  of  the  house. 

In  the  daughter’s  room  there  may  be  a swinging  mirror, 
whose  lower  edge  is  six  inches  above  the  floor,  and  in  one 
or  two  other  rooms  a little  stand  or  two  for  books  and 
writing  material,  and  in  another  room  there  may  be  a chest 
of  drawers  for  fine  kimonos,  but  that  is  all.  The  rest  of 
the  house  furnishings  and  utensils  for  eating,  drinking, 


38 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


reading,  sitting,  sleeping  are  kept  out  of  sight  in  capacious 
closets  about  three  feet  deep  that  are  concealed  by  the 
fusumas.  The  things  are  only  brought  out  as  wanted  for 
immediate  use  and  are  religiously  dusted,  folded  and  put 
away. 

In  every  Japanese  house,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest, 
there  is  a family  shrine.  With  the  very  rich  it  is  at  times 
in  a separate  little  temple  building  standing  in  the  garden, 
but  with  the  fairly  well  off  it  is  in  a closet  in  the  wall,  and 
often  of  the  costliest  kind  of  carved  and  gilt  metal  work 
and  held  sacred  from  passing  eyes.  It  contains  the  tablets 
of  the  honoured  and  beloved  dead  of  the  family,  and  every 
morning  the  first  duty  is  to  place  there  an  offering  of  rice 
and  sake  or  water  as  a spiritual  refreshment  to  the  souls 
still  hovering  nigh. 

Halls,  passages  and  stairs  in  the  houses  of  the  better 
class  are  of  dark-brown  natural  wood — no  paint  or  varnish, 
indeed,  tolerated  anywhere — shining  like  glass,  spotless, 
dustless  from  continuous  polishing.  All  the  rest  of  the 
floor  space  except  the  kitchen  is  covered  with  springy,  soft, 
finely  woven  grass  matting  of  pale-gold  tint  about  two 
inches  thick  and  generally  edged  with  black.  It  is  laid 
dowTi  in  “mats”  and  “half -mats,”  the  mat  measuring 
about  six  feet  by  three.  A room  is  spoken  of  as  three 
mats,  four  mats,  six  mats,  up  ordinarily  to  ten  or  even 
twenty  mats.  There  is  a room  in  a Kyoto  abbot’s  palace 
of  a thousand  mats. 

Now,  it  is  the  mat  that  makes  all  the  difference  between 
the  Western  house  and  the  Japanese — the  mat  and  the 
square  flat  cushion  covered  with  silk  or  cotton  in  scarlet 
or  purple  or  some  rich  colour.  No  heavy  Western  boot  or 
shoe  or  high-heeled  bottine  or  even  heeled  slipper  may 
touch  that  mat.  Apart  from  the  soilure  of  mud  or  dust 
it  might  bring  from  the  street,  the  polished  floor  would  be 
marked  and  the  fine  mat  cut  by  the  heavy  Western  heel. 


HOME  LIFE  IN  JAPAN 


39 


When  you  enter  the  house  you  must  take  off  your  shoes. 
A Japanese  lady  wears  clogs  in  the  street  and  her  feet  are 
encased  in  white  kid  gloves  or  white  cloth  stockings  with 
a divided  great  toe,  of  plainer  covering,  so  she  drops  her 
clogs  at  the  door,  slips  her  feet  into  flat  slippers  and  walks 
straight  in.  Some  hosts  provide  heelless  cloth  slippers  for 
foreigners  which  slip  on  over  the  shoes,  but  they  leave  you 
with  a guilty  barbarian  feeling  as  you  tread  the  mats 
within.  Better  far  have  double  or  thick  stockings  and  take 
off  your  shoes  like  a brave  man.  My  toes  not  being  pre- 
hensile, I wear  the  house  slippers  precariously,  generally 
leaving  one  or  both  midway  if  I attempt  to  go  upstairs  or 
down — to  the  embarrassing  amusement  of  servants  and 
fellow  guests.  Mine  host  is  too  polite  to  be  other  than 
sympathetic — which  is  just  as  bad. 

This  is  the  beginning  only  of  the  trouble.  Nothing 
seems  easier  than  to  sit  on  a nice  cushion  on  the  floor,  but 
to  our  “W'estern”  knees  and  anatomical  flexures  generally 
a period  of  helplessness,  of  extraordinary  and  particular 
fatigue  in  unaccustomed  spots — backs,  ankles,  and  what  not 
— soon  arrives.  Cushions  upon  cushions  and  then  more 
cushions  barely  mitigate  it.  You  can  cross  your  legs  Turk- 
like  for  about  ten  minutes;  but  to  kneel  and  sit  back  on 
your  heels,  the  choice  Japanese  position  which  they  grace- 
fully assume  for  hours,  why,  pains,  cramps  and  a fierce 
desire  to  lie  flat  on  your  back  at  whatever  cost  to  the 
etiquette  of  the  situation  follow  in  short  order.  I can,  of 
coui-se,  only  speak  for  myself.  Ladies  may  get  along  better. 

While  on  this  point  I may  digress  far  enough  to  say  that 
a good  way  to  experience  all  the  effects — sitting,  eating, 
sleeping  in  the  same  room  without  furniture — is  to  pass 
twenty-four  hours  in  a first-class  Japanese  inn.  As  for 
me,  after  a stretch  of  backache  I piled  up  cushions  in  the 
tokonoma  and  then  sat  some  ten  inches  above  the  floor  and 
placed  my  dinner  tray  on  top  of  an  upturned  leathern 


40 


JAPAN  AT  FIKST  HAND 


hatbox.  When  the  maid  returned  with  sake  or  something 
she  went  down  on  her  knees  at  the  door  and  bent  to  the 
mat.  Raising  her  head  slowly  she  looked  for  me  in  the 
place  where  she  had  left  me  dejected  in  the  middle  of  the 
room.  Upon  seeing  me  joyous  in  my  new  position  her  eyes 
grew  large  and  looked  startled,  then  she  burst  into  a roar 
of  laughter  and  ran  out  crying  “Dai  Bustu!” — which  is 
the  style  and  title  of  a great  statue  of  Buddha  at  Kamakura 
forty-nine  feet  high.  Within  five  minutes  there  were  four 
merry  maidens  on  their  knees  ministering  unto  me  to  their 
interminable  joy. 

It  is  notable,  however,  that  the  richer  Japanese  more 
and  more  incline  to  have  at  least  one  “Western”  room 
in  their  houses — that  is,  a room,  generally  a large  one,  with 
chairs,  tables,  console,  couch  and  carpet,  furnished  in  fact 
like  a drawing  room  in  which  to  entertain  foreigners.  At 
the  home  of  the  Marquis  Mayeda  not  only  furniture  but 
modern  oil  paintings  of  the  French  school  attracted  the 
wealthy  world-farer.  Count  Okuma,  Viscount  Makino, 
Baron  Mitsui,  Mr.  Soyeda,  Mr.  Asano,  Mr,  Hayagawa  are 
all  cases  in  point  where  such  examples  are  set;  the  lesser 
rich  may  be  expected  to  follow. 

In  addition  to  these  custom  and  habit  drawbacks  to 
interracial  comradeship  there  is  the  sober  fact  that  the 
Japanese  wife  has  little  time  for  outside  social  amenities. 
Simple  as  her  house  is  in  appearance,  it  will  readily  be 
clear  that  it  is  reaUy  complex  and  that  managing  it  through 
its  daily  transformations  is  no  easy  matter.  It  calls  for 
three  or  four  servants,  willing  creatures,  who  work  cheer- 
fully and  all  the  time  when  not  eating  or  abed.  The 
family  garments  are  in  the  wife’s  charge,  and  as  most  of 
them  have  to  be  taken  apart  to  be  washed  and  have  to  be 
made  up  anew  there  is  much  starching  and  sewing  to  be 
superintended  or  done.  Her  work  and  her  care  are  endless, 
particularly  if  she  has  daughters.  As  she  has  little  leisure 


HOME  LIFE  IN  JAPAN 


41 


and  her  husband  and  son  are  much  employed  outside  at 
business  or  at  school  or  college  she  reads  little  and  hears 
little,  and  so  misses  much  of  that  surface  knowledge  of 
things  which  makes  five-sixths  of  our  tea  table  and  dinner 
conversation. 

I am  indicating  that  the  distaff  side  of  the  family  has 
little  opportunity  for  paying  visits  or  receiving  them.  She 
is  particular  too  to  be  properly  clad  to  greet  her  guests; 
hence  one  soon  learns  that  a proposed  call  should  be 
announced  well  in  advance.  Equally  it  is  vain  to  expect 
her  to  return  calls  promptly.  So  language,  attire,  inability 
to  squat  gracefully  and  domestic  preoccupation  are  nat- 
ural deterrents  to  social  intermingling.  Among  Japanese 
women  themselves  visiting  is  not  overfrequent. 

Curious  as  these  differences  appear  to  us,  they  do  not 
interfere  with  the  real  charm  of  Japanese  private  life.  If 
the  husband  gives  a party  to  his  male  friends  the  wife 
seldom  appears  even  when  there  are  no  foreigners,  and 
does  not  expect  to.  If  it  is  a formal  affair  a number  of 
geishas  are  hired  to  wait  at  table  and  dance  and  sing  when 
the  meal  is  over.  It  is  all  a harmless  proceeding;  the 
dances  symbolize  some  phase  of  daily  life — the  harvest 
dance  or  the  gold  washers  dance,  for  instance — graceful, 
rhythmic  movements  to  the  jingling  of  a couple  of  samisen 
— nothing  suggestive  or  remotely  lascivious. 

At  one  private  dinner  I attended — the  first — I thought 
that  the  seven  attendant  geishas  were  house  servants  with 
easy  and  pleasing  manners.  They  did  not  dance  because, 
if  you  please,  of  the  recent  death  of  the  Empress  Dowager 
of  Japan,  so  I was  told  afterward. 

Since  then  I have  attended  many  private  dinners.  Let 

me  recall  one.  Mrs.  S was  present,  but  not  speaking 

English  was  quite  silent  during  dinner,  her  house  servants 
functioning  perfectly  without  a word  or  even  a sign  of 
direction.  After  dinner  we  went  to  a large  sitting  room 


42 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


upstairs,  and  the  men  had  cigars,  I sitting,  by  the  lady’s 
special  favour,  on  three  scarlet  cushions  and  with  my  back 

to  a pillar — quite  comfortable.  The  Misses  S , her 

daughters,  were  introduced — two  charming  girls — the 
eldest  of  rounded  oval  type  with  refined  features  in  a 
blue  robe — a real  picture  of  flowering  maiden  beauty  and 
modest  mien.  The  second,  a glad-faced  lively  girl  of 
twelve,  wore  brighter  colours — orange  and  crimson. 

Mrs.  S , gracefully  attended  by  her  younger 

daughter,  now  performed  the  tea  ceremony  with  great 
distinction.  It  has  quite  a ritual,  every  movement  being 
prescribed.  Tea  is  made  successively  with  so  many  ges- 
tures for  every  guest,  a deliciously  aromatic  and  very 
strong  powdered  green  tea  being  used.  It  is  served  in 
small  bowls  and  is  to  be  taken  in  three  sips  and  a half. 
Then,  at  her  father’s  request,  the  youngest  daughter 
danced,  using  a fan,  while  one  of  the  maids  played  on  the 
samisen  and  sang  a “utai”  descriptive  of  the  beauties  of 
Kyoto.  It  was  touchingly  graceful  and  gentle.  Not  to  be 
outdone  one  of  our  company  sang  ‘ ‘ Drink  to  Me  Only  "With 

Thine  Eyes.  ’ ’ Mr.  S , thus  challenged,  as  it  were,  sent 

for  a case  of  books  of  the  No  Dance  and  selecting  one  sang 
a little  tale  of  old  Japan  in  a rich,  round  barjdone.  Mrs. 

S now  ordered  the  doors  to  the  room  beyond  opened 

and  going  in  played  with  her  elder  daughter  several 
melodious  pieces  on  two  “koto” — long,  low  Japanese 
harps  with  horizontal  strings  and  played  in  the  Japanese 
seated  position.  It  was  altogether  a delightful  evening 
and  showed  to  a nicety  the  graciousness  and  sweetness  of 
Japanese  home  life  at  its  best. 

Woman  is  taught  from  girlhood  to  be  modest,  retiring 
and  obedient  as  daughter  and  wife,  and  as  a rule  she  is. 
She  is  almost  certain  to  avoid  spinsterhood,  so  well  oiled 
is  the  marriage  machinery  in  Japan.  Courtship  is  un- 
known as  we  know  it.  The  bringing  about  of  marriage  is 


I.  A MODKl,  JAPAXKSE  ROOM  AT  BARON  MITSUI’S 
SKMI  KUROI’EAN  ROOM  IN  A RICH  MAN’S  HOUSE 


HOME  LIFE  IN  JAPAN 


43 


regularly  the  work  of  a private  go-between,  who  brings  the 
young  people  together  after  the  parents  on  both  sides,  with 
additional  precautionary  inquisitorial  go-betweens,  have 
agreed  to  a proposed  match.  Thus  girls  often  select  their 
husbands  unknown  to  the  bridegroom  himself,  for  the 
selection  is  usually  supposed  to  be  and  usually  is  the  result 
of  the  go-between’s  astute  observation,  the  initiative  coming 
from  one  or  other  of  the  parents,  who  says  in  effect,  “Pray 
you,  good  friend,  find  a spouse  for  my  daughter — or 
son,  ’ ’ as  the  case  may  be.  In  this  way  even  when  a young 
man  or  young  woman  has  a small  purse  or  a bodily  defect 
some  one  equally  short  in  cash  or  corporal  perfection  is 
found  and  the  thing  is  done.  The  young  people  meet  at 
a theatre  or  feast ; they  chat  gingerly  with  each  other  and 
final  consent  is  given.  No  courtship  and  absolutely  no 
kissing ! 

It  is  said  that  the  young  wife  enters  her  husband’s 
family  with  her  eyes  open,  just  as  the  young  husband 
may  enter  his  wife’s  family,  in  which  case  he  is  at  the 
same  time  “adopted”  and  takes  her  name.  Lafeadio 
Hearn — a piteously  plain-looking  man — entered  his  wife’s 
family  in  this  way.  It  is  “let  the  buyer  beware”  in 
either  case. 

The  young  wife’s  life  is  usually  no  path  of  cherry 
blossoms,  for  the  family — the  great  Japanese  unit — rules 
in  the  house,  and  not  herself  or  her  husband  while  the 
father  lives.  Few  young  couples  set  up  for  themselves  as 
with  us ; they  live  in  the  family.  The  bridegroom ’s  father 
and  mother  are  the  heads,  and  no  step  may  be  taken  with- 
out their  consent.  If  there  is  a disagreement  the  family 
council  is  called  and  their  decision  must  be  obeyed.  The 
mother-in-law  is  exacting  and  oppressive;  the  husband’s 
sisters  are  critical.  The  wife  is  given  more  than  her  share 
of  family  work  or  responsibility,  and  often  leads  a very 
dispiriting  life  at  first.  Her  great  hope  is  maternity. 


44 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


Therein  her  work  is  not  lessened,  but  her  joy  begins.  She 
has  made  mother-in-law  a grandmother,  and  that  helps  in 
Japan,  where  keeping  up  the  line  of  descent  is  a great 
pride  and  a great  duty.  So  her  lot  improves  spiritually. 
The  little  human  flowers  blossoming  around  the  house  make 
for  everybody’s  happiness. 

Among  poor  and  rich  children  are  given  full  fling.  They 
pervade  every  room;  they  swarm  romping  in  the  gardens, 
the  girls  dressed  in  gayest  colours.  Toys  are  showered  on 
them.  Girls  have  a toy  festival  in  March;  boys  in  May. 
No  one  denies  them  anything.  Then  at  a certain  age  an 
iron  rule  for  boys  supervenes,  and  a rigid  standard  is  set 
for  girls.  The  boy  hardens  into  the  youth  and  keeps  hard 
until,  a man  at  last,  he  may  soften  into  the  blandness  that 
he  sees  about  him.  He  finds  it  happily  hard  to  escape 
marriage.  With  any  eligibility  he  is  sought  so  persist- 
ently by  go-betweens  for  somebody ’s  daughter  that  he 
usually  surrenders  before  he  is  twenty-five,  though  the 
marrying  age  for  men  and  women  is  advancing  all  the 
time. 

Woman’s  status  is  advancing  slowly.  The  great  and 
increasing  number  of  young  women  drawn  from  their 
homes  into  the  ranks  of  business  and  into  factory  life  is 
not  without  its  effect  on  her  position  in  the  home.  Her 
education,  too,  which  is  reaching  further  and  further  out, 
is  emancipating  her  from  many  of  the  narrownesses  that 
are  associated  with  the  Japanese  idea  of  domestic  virtue. 
Mother-in-law  may  mourn  or  even  scold  in  vain ; the 
forward  step  is  making  and  woman  is  rising. 

Complaint  is  made  that  the  servants  in  Japan  are  not 
what  they  were.  I fancy  that  wail  has  gone  up  from 
every  generation  in  every  land  since  handmaids  were 
invented.  Here  as  in  the  old  Western  lands  the  leaven 
of  discontent  with  lifelong  servitude  is  working,  but  there 
are  still  as  good,  gentle,  devoted  servants  in  Japan  as  in 


HOME  LIFE  IN  JAPAN  45 

any  country  under  the  sun,  and  I have  seen  them  and 
experienced  their  minute  attention. 

“It  lies  largely  with  the  mistress,”  one  lady  said  to 
me.  I think  I remember  hearing  at  least  one  dear  com- 
placent housewife  at  home  say  that  as  she  gazed  on  her 
pretty  maids  hanging  crut  the  clothes  and  singing  the  while. 

The  family  council  system  works  for  forbearance  and 
average  justice.  Family  quarrels  of  the  lighter  sort  are 
arranged  by  the  go-between,  who  does  not  wish  to  see  his 
joiner  work  marred.  If,  however,  complete  disillusion  has 
followed  marriage  divorce  is  not  difficult.  The  family 
council  exhausts  argument  to  keep  couples  from  hasty 
conclusions.  If  all  these  fail  the  wife  returns  to  her 
parents,  requests  the  register  to  change  her  domicile  on  his 
books,  and  that  is  divorce.  If  the  husband  sends  away  his 
wife  it  is  the  same  thing.  In  grievous  cases  he,  but  not 
she,  may  invoke  the  law,  and  on  conviction  wife  and  lover 
are  sent  to  penal  servitude.  This  seldom  happens.  Dis- 
solutions of  marriage  are  about  one  in  twelve,  but  in 
scarcely  more  than  one  in  a hundred  is  the  difference  any- 
thing hut  incompatibility. 

The  Japanese  girl  is  an  innocent  little  thing.  She  has 
learned  metrical  romance  at  her  mother ’s  knee,  read  a little 
of  the  Chinese  classics,  dipped  into  Western  domestic 
science ; but  she  knows  little  of  life  and  her  great  step  has 
been  practically  decided  for  her.  In  the  case  of  a husband 
adopted  into  a family,  he  loses  his  adoption  if  he  divorces 
his  wife  and  resumes  his  OAvn  name.  Wives  are  chaste  and 
households  pure,  and  a fine  ideal  pervades  the  home,  the 
young  men  pushing  their  idealism  to  great  lengths. 
Religion  has  its  force  in  mandates  to  a clean  and  godly 
life,  but  beyond  the  daily  momentaiy  act  of  worship  at 
the  family  shrine  little  praying  is  done.  Marriage  is 
wholly  civil,  albeit  an  ancient  and  particularized  ritual  is 
performed.  Brides  have  no  honeymoon.  Dots  are  not  in 


46 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


question.  A bride  should  have  a handsome  trousseau,  but 
the  ability  of  the  husband  to  support  a wife  and  family 
is  the  great  consideration.  Funerals  are  elaborate.  The 
family  larder  is  simply  supplied  for  high  and  low.  Only 
for  marked  occasions — family  feasts  or  for  the  husband’s 
friends — are  elaborate  meals  prepared.  There  are  three 
meals  a day,  and  every  one  is  served  on  an  individual  tray. 

As  far,  then,  as  close  household  intercourse  with  for- 
eigners goes,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  material  difficulties 
are  many  and  unless  the  Japanese  woman  learns  a foreign 
language,  and  in  some  degree — even  to  one  room — Western- 
izes her  house,  progress  in  acquaintance  is  hard.  In  many 
households  I have  visited  this  has  been  the  case,  and  the 
results  have  been  delightful.  It  would  not  be  too  much 
to  expect  the  practice  to  widen  materially. 

To  what  end  the  elaborate  education  of  the  young  women 
of  the  better  class  is  tending  it  would  be  hard  to  say,  but 
as  with  their  fathers  and  brothers  in  the  art  and  service 
of  the  world  we  may  depend  on  it  that  it  will  be  forward 
and  well  ordered. 


CHAPTER  V 


JAPAN’S  EDUCATIONAL  FURORE 

A national  passion  for  learning — 8,000,000  pupils  in  37,000 
schools,  7,000  technical  schools — The  universities  and  higher 
schools — Woman’s  gi’eat  share  in  the  advance. 

No  such  national  furore  for  education  has  ever  been  seen 
as  that  which  has  gripped  the  mind  of  Japan.  Her 
progress  in  the  material  arts  and  sciences  is  known;  her 
success  in  adopting  “Western”  methods  is  proverbial;  but 
it  has  not  been  clearly  understood  that  the  whole  nation  is 
taking  part  in  the  transforming  process  with  an  earnestness 
that  seems  irresistible. 

Japan,  in  her  cities  and  fields,  does  her  work  on  a small 
scale  that  makes  in  the  end  a great  mass,  but  here  is  an 
influence  destined  to  turn  national  and  individual  effort 
into  broader  channels  with  improved  means  and  methods. 
Her  schools  and  colleges  are  turning  out  graduates  every 
year  who  have  had  at  least  a mental  glimpse  of  the  greater 
world.  Nothing  could  be  more  conservative  than  the  minds 
of  her  peasants  whom  we  have  seen  tilling  their  little 
holdings  with  infinite  and  loving  patience  and  persistence ; 
but  it  is  only  true  now  of  the  older  generation. 

Every  two  years  half  a million  young  Japanese  men 
return  from  the  army  and  na\y  to  the  fields  of  their 
fathers.  They  have  seen  something  of  the  ambitious  stir 
of  the  world  outside  their  province ; their  minds  have  been 
running  in  channels  of  new  facts,  and  the  question  is, 
“Will  they  want  to  fall  into  step  with  their  parents,  or 
will  they  want  to  get  into  larger  ways  of  working  and 

47 


48 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


living?”  The  drift  to  the  cities,  as  with  us,  partly  answers 
the  question,  but  it  seems  inevitable,  in  agriculture  for 
instance,  that  co-operation,  the  use  of  modern  machinery 
and  inclusion  of  areas  hitherto  deemed  impracticable, 
will  necessarily  follow.  A widening  of  general  business 
methods  is  in  the  same  way  inevitable;  indeed,  in  taking 
charge  of  the  war-stream  of  inflowing  gold  it  has  largely 
come. 

As  we  shall  see  later  on  with  the  education  of  the 
Japanese  abroad  and  at  home  in  the  arts  and  crafts  and 
technical  industries,  they  are  already  laying  hold  of  “big 
business,”  with  the  fullest  assurance  of  their  own  success. 

In  other  words  the  mental  grasp  and  resolute  character 
which  so  astonishingly  proved  Japanese  skill  and  powers 
in  war  are  now  toiling  on  at  all  the  problems  whose 
solutions  make  for  the  conquest  of  peace.  The  nation  is 
educating  itself  with  great  vigour. 

In  the  higher  walks  of  education,  as  long  ago  in  the 
lower,  there  exists  a belief  that  universities,  colleges, 
technical  schools  may  henceforth  depend  upon  native 
teachers  and  dispense  with  the  foreigner.  It  is  largely 
an  economic  question.  Foreign  professors  and  instructors 
must  be  paid  on  the  “Western”  scale,  while  native  teachers 
are  perforce  content  with  half  the  pay.  But  of  course 
national  pride  enters  into  consideration.  If  they  have 
men  fit  for  the  work  why  go  outside  them  ? They  certainly 
have  men  in  all  the  learned  specialties  who  have  stood  high 
abroad.  No  better  clue  to  the  Japanese  educational  deter- 
mination can  be  given.  It  is  not  a rich  country,  but  it 
may  equal  the  efforts  of  the  richest  by  keeping  up  to  their 
excellence  and  doing  it  at  half  the  cost.  So  salaries  and 
emoluments  are  fixed  ’way  down,  and  students’  fees  and 
payments  are  equally  kept  within  reach  of  talent  without 
regard  to  wealth. 

How  far  they  are  justified  in  relying  on  their  own 


JAPAN’S  EDUCATIONAL  FUROKE 


49 


scholarship  and  technical  learning  a very  little  time  will 
tell.  Some  aver  that  it  is  too  soon  to  make  anything  like 
a clean  sweep  of  foreign  teachers.  All  the  same  they  are 
entitled  to  try. 

Side  by  side  with  that  is  the  conclusion  that  the  system 
of  the  last  generation  of  sending  Japanese  youths  abroad 
to  colleges  all  over  America  and  England,  which  gave  so 
many  men  of  brilliant  education  to  Japan,  is  to  be  aban- 
doned. Here  again  cost  is  considered.  A young  man  of 
parts  can  be  educated  in  any  branch,  they  say,  at  home  just 
as  efficiently  as  abroad  and  at  very  much  reduced  cost. 
Hence  the  number  of  men  so  educated  can  be  doubled. 
Not  disputing  this,  it  is  a pity  that  the  plan  should  be 

abandoned  wholly.  The  only  men,  I was  told  (this  was 

before  the  European  war,  of  course),  who  would  thereafter 
be  sent  abroad  by  Japan  were  a group  of  her  most 
promising  army  college  graduates  who  would  go  to 
Germany  to  study  the  art  of  war  as  the  Kaiserland 

developed  it.  This,  we  may  suppose,  will  be  reversed  in 

view  of  the  little  affair  at  Tsing-tao;  they  may  be  sent  to 
France.  Also  a very  limited  number  of  physical  science 
specialists,  also  graduates  of  home  institutions,  were  to  be 
sent  to  the  same  country.  Germany  has  vast  assurance  as 
to  its  advance  in  the  physical  sciences,  but  it  is  far  from 
being  in  all,  and  Austria,  France,  England,  as  well  as 
America,  are  not  behind  in  the  best  fields.  If  there  is  a 
school  of  surgery  in  the  world  greater  than  that  of  the 
Brothers  iNIayo  or  of  bacteriological  investigation  than  the 
Rockefeller  Institute  it  would  be  profitable  to  point  it  out. 

It  is  not,  however,  with  possible  flaws  in  Japanese  future 
plans  that  we  are  to  concern  ourselves,  but  with  the  great 
fact  that  out  of  its  56,000,000  population  it  has  a school 
population  of  nearly  8,000,000  pupils  in  37,000  schools, 
that  they  employ  nearly  200,000  teachers  of  all  grades 
and  kinds  and  that  they  graduate  not  far  from  1,250,000 


50 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


pupils  a year.  Of  course,  most  of  these  are  from  elemen- 
tary schools ; those  who  reach  the  middle  schools  are  123,000 
and  56,000  reach  the  girls’  higher  schools,  while  of  the 
imperial  universities  the  total  membership  is  7,500,  grad- 
uating about  2,000  a year.  The  latter  figures  are  what 
might  fairly  be  expected  from  a country  so  young  in 
modern  knowledge,  but  the  most  significant  figures  are 
27,000  students  in  the  special  and  334,000  in  the  technical 
schools. 

Opinions  are  divided  as  to  the  excellence  of  the  work 
in  the  elementary  and  middle  schools.  The  high  schools, 
which  were  founded  with  a twofold  object — that  of 
furnishing  just  enough  of  upper-class  knowledge  to  start 
certain  grades  of  men  on  their  careers  and  also  to  prepare 
men  for  college  and  university — have,  it  seems,  become 
wholly  devoted  to  the  latter.  The  bulk  of  the  men  bent  on 
knowledge  short  of  the  university  level  have  flocked  to 
the  technical  schools,  of  which  there  are  nearly  7,000  in 
this  little  country.  Every  industry  is  pretty  closely 
covered,  all  of  what  may  be  called  the  open  air  industries 
as  well  as  those  that  are  carried  on  in  mill  and  factoiy; 
agriculture  in  all  branches,  forestry,  fishery,  sericulture, 
are  largely  specialized.  This  is  one  of  the  great  things 
Japan  has  done,  and  it  is  I’esulting  in  a class  of  workmen 
and  directors  of  workmen  who  know  the  latest  that  science 
has  to  say  about  every  branch  of  manufacture,  about 
electricity  and  machinery  and  mechanical  and  mining 
engineering.  The  sending  of  promising  young  workmen 
abroad  for  three-year  mechanical  courses  by  the  great 
industrial  concerns  is  another  item  in  advanced  education. 
The  great  Kawasaki  Dockyard  Company,  with  a huge  ship- 
building plant  at  Kobe,  keeps  100  students  abroad. 

Then  there  are  the  commercial  and  commercial  high 
schools.  Most  of  these  are  private  foundations — like  Mr. 
Okura’s,  which  he  wholly  supports.  He  is  one  of  the 


JAPAN’S  EDUCATIONAL  FURORE 


51 


richest  of  Japan’s  business  men  and  his  chief  hobby  out- 
side the  school  has  been  making  the  collections  which  form 
his  private  museum,  which  in  its  examples  of  religious 
art,  chiefly  Buddhistic,  is  perhaps  the  richest  and  most 
extensive  in  the  world.  Most  important  of  all,  however,  is 
the  Commercial  High  School  of  Tokyo,  conducted  with 
great  clan  by  Baron  Kanda.  It  is  a three  years’  course, 
and  I can  assure  you  that  its  graduates  go  forth  most 
formidably  equipped  as  the  business  men  who  are  to  be  the 
new  crusaders  of  Japan.  They  achieve  great  success  there 
in  teaching  English.  I have  met  several  former  students 
all  over  Japan  and  can  testify  to  this.  Business  ethics  is 
a branch  largely  ta\;ght. 

It  came  my  way  to  be  asked  to  address  them,  and  the 
event  took  place  in  the  large  assembly  hall.  What  I do 
not  know  about  business  would  stock  many  stores,  whole- 
sale and  retail;  but  in  a lifetime  one  picks  up  certain 
principles  and  collects  examples  which  may  sound  attrac- 
tive in  a foreign  language.  It  was  in  this  artful  way  that 
I managed  to  get  through  a half-hour  address,  speaking 
with  great  slowness,  airing  my  pet  definition  of  business 
as  “exchange  with  profit,”  using  Sancho  Panza’s  dictum 
for  illustration — “a  business  is  not  worth  two  horse  beans 
that  does  not  provide  a man  with  a living,  ’ ’ also  my  second 
observation  that  business  progress  lies  in  “perception  of 
opportunity.”  They  liked  all  that  and  relished  my  de- 
scription of  great  American  business  men,  what  they  had 
achieved  and  above  all  how  so  many  of  them  had  entered 
eommereial  life  through  that  greatest  of  early  commercial 
colleges  in  America — the  country  store,  wherein  the  first 
duty  assigned  was  sweeping  it  out,  and  so  on. 

You  will  excuse  me  the  platitudes  with  which  the  brief 
discourse  was  larded,  but  I emphasized  two  points,  one 
general,  that  honest  dealing  was  the  great  essential,  and 
the  other  local,  that  the  future  of  business  in  Japan  lay 


52 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


with  the  corporation  if  it  was  to  keep  up  with  the  pro- 
cession. I had  ample  opportunity  to  look  into  these  young 
men’s  resolute  faces  and  observe  how  quickly  and  intelli- 
gently they  seized  the  points  as  they  were  made.  They 
will,  in  ten  years  from  now,  be  among  the  leading 
exponents  of  Japanese  banking  and  business  methods  to 
the  world,  and  anything  that  can  bind  them  to  the  true 
as  well  as  to  the  expedient  is  worth  while. 

The  four  imperial  universities  stand  naturally  at  the 
head  of  Japan’s  educational  movement,  namely,  those  of 
Tokyo,  Kyoto,  Sendai  and  Fukuoka.  The  two  latter  are 
recent  creations  adapted  in  their  beginnings  to  their  locale, 
Sendai  providing  mostly  for  science  pertaining  to  agri- 
culture and  fishing,  and  Fukuoka  in  Kyushu  to  medicine 
and  engineering.  Kyoto  University  was  founded  in  1897. 
It  is  the  second  in  importance.  Tokyo  University  was 
founded  ten  years  earlier  and  has  not  far  from  6,000 
students  and  pupils.  The  latter  was  the  only  imperial 
university  to  which  I paid  a visit — at  the  invitation  of  the 
president,  Mr.  Kenjiro  Yamagawa,  the  gentlest  type  con- 
ceivable of  the  scholar  of  distinction.  If  one  reaches  back 
in  memory  far  enough  to  recall  the  face  of  Dr.  McCosh  of 
Princeton  when  its  rigid  lines  were  softened  into  a smile, 
as  they  were  once  in  a long  while,  you  will  have  something 
of  Mr.  Yamagawa ’s  face  when  it  is  not  smiling;  that  is,  it 
is  benevolence  personified  with  the  rigidity  of  the  just  ruler 
somehow  perceptible  underneath. 

The  university  stands  within  a spacious  compound  on 
an  ancient  holding  once  belonging  to  a daimio,  the  Marquis 
Mayeda,  whose  property  and  palace  it  adjoins,  and  this 
bit  of  land  history  accounts  for  the  many  superb  large 
trees  which  dignify  the  grounds  among  the  colleges  and 
ancillary  buildings  which  make  an  imposing  architectural 
picture.  In  addition  to  the  University  Hall  there  are 
colleges  of  law,  medicine,  engineering,  literature,  science 


COLLEGIAN’S  AT  STUDY 

BLACKSMITH  SHOP,  EN’GIXEERIXG  COLLEGE 


I 


HOW  GIRLS  RKAD  AXD  STUDY 


JAPAN’S  EDUCATIONAL  FURORE 


53 


and  agriculture,  as  well  housed,  but  all  finding  a need  of 
greater  elbow  room,  which  is  the  complaint  common,  I 
believe,  to  all  colleges.  Several  monuments  dot  the  ground. 
One  interested  me  greatly,  namely,  the  bust  of  Professor 
Divers,  an  Irishman  described  by  the  president  as  the 
Father  of  Analytical  Chemistry  in  Japan. 

In  Japan  men  reach  the  universities  much  later  than  in 
the  United  States — the  earlier  steps  in  Oriental  education 
being  much  harder  than  with  us  on  account  of  the  necessity 
of  first  learning  the  Chinese  ideographs  and  reading  the 
Chinese  classics  as  well  as  the  Japanese,  and  second  of 
practically  having  a second  education  as  it  were  in  foreign 
languages  and  sciences.  The  average  age  of  entrance-  is 
twenty-four  years  and  three  months,  so  that  a man  gets  his 
degree  in  his  twenty-eighth  year.  The  students,  of  whom 
I saw  hundreds  on  the  grounds  and  some  in  classes,  were 
mostly  serious  young  men.  They  wear  a modified  ‘ ‘ mortar 
board,”  the  square  top  not  so  large  as  the  original  type, 
with  something  like  a military  cap  beneath.  Some  wore 
the  dark-blue  uniform  jacket  and  trousers,  but  I liked 
better  the  look  of  those  in  simple  kimonos  of  a boyish  type 
with  the  “hakama,”  a combination  of  vest  and  apron,  big, 
free-stepping,  studious  boys  in  fact.  Very  few  wore 
glasses.  Outside  the  university  they  carried  themselves 
with  a good  deal  of  swagger — ‘ ‘ pride  in  their  port,  defiance 
in  their  eye” — facing  the  present  and  the  future  with  an 
eager  nonchalance.  Young  Japan  is  certainly  “feeling 
its  oats.” 

The  president  had  prepared  two  treats  for  me.  In  a 
large  room  next  his  spacious  office  he  had  laid  out  on  a long 
table  a collection  of  the  most  ancient  manuscripts  of  the 
Empire,  with  a professor  of  ancient  literature  to  explain 
them.  The  oldest  went  back  1,300  years.  They  w-ere 
mostly  state  papers,  imperial  seals,  deeds  and  so  on  of  the 
highest  historical  value.  One  of  them  that  I recall 


54 


JAPAN  AT  FIEST  HAND 


exhibited  the  signature  of  Toyotomi  Hideyoshi,  one  of 
Japan’s  greatest  generals,  coeval  with  Queen  Elizabeth 
of  England,  and  whose  equestrian  statue  in  mediaeval 
armour  stands  near  the  imperial  palace.  He  persecuted 
the  Japanese  Christians  as  Queen  Bess  persecuted  the 
English  Catholics. 

There  was  also  a special  display  of  historical  art 
treasures.  One  scroll,  perhaps  fifty  yards  long,  showed 
the  procession  of  an  early  Mikado  through  the  country. 
Every  official,  priest,  officer,  soldier,  archer,  musician, 
porter,  was  shown  in  long  succession.  I kept  watching  it 
as  it  was  unrolled.  “Ah,”  I said,  “here  comes  the 
Mikado  now”  as  the  onlookers  were  shown  kneeling  with 
their  heads  on  the  ground.  “Yes,  he  is  coming,”  said  the 
professor  with  a twinkle,  and  after  a few  yards  more  he 
did  come — in  a palanquin,  covered  from  mortal  gaze 
for  ever.  Of  decidedly  more  interest  to  us  were  the  first 
pictures  of  foreigners  drawn  contemporaneously  by  native 
court  artists — the  seventeenth-century  Dutch  in  their 
baggy  breeches  and  big  hats  on  Dutch  ships;  also  of 
Portuguese  and  Spanish  ships,  the  cabins  of  one  showing 
priests  and  an  altar  boy  and  a picture  of  Jesus  on  the 
wall.  Scroll  pictures  of  Commodore  Perry’s  first  and 
second  visits,  very  creditably  drawn  with  processions  of 
man-0  ’-war  boats  flying  the  Stars  and  Stripes  and  the  fleet 
firing  a salute,  were  shown.  One  curious  feature  in  all  the 
drawings  of  foreigners  was  the  great  snouts  given  the  men. 
Dutch,  Portuguese,  American,  all  fared  alike.  It  had  a 
comedy  effect  but  gives  an  idea  how  queer  we  must  have 
appeared  to  Japanese  eyes  at  first  sight.  The  Japanese 
nose  is  ordinarily  small  and  hooked,  and  their  artists 
simply  added  an  inch  or  two  for  good  measure  to  the 
nasal  organs  of  the  Europeans  they  pictured.  Impressions 
make  funny  misproportions. 

There  was  also  some  archaic  pottery  antedating  any 


JAPAN’S  EDUCATIONAL  FURORE 


55 


history  we  have  and  a collection  of  stone  celts,  hammers 
and  flint  arrowheads  exactly  similar  to  those  found  in 
Europe,  England  and  Ireland  as  well  as  in  America.  It 
is  a curious  old  world,  isn’t  it,  with  hidden  communications 
of  old  that  we  know  nothing  of?  The  second  treat  was  a 
visit  to  the  seismological  department  presided  over  by 
Professor  Omori,  an  earthquake  authority  of  worldwide 
celebrity.  He  explained  much,  not  pertinent  here,  very 
luminously. 

Other  institutions  of  the  higher  learning  in  Tokyo 
are  Keio  University,  2,300  students;  Waseda  University, 
founded  thirty-two  years  ago  by  Count  Okuma,  the  recent 
Prime  Minister  of  Japan,  with  nearly  6,000  on  its  roll,  and 
the  Meiji  Semmon  Gakko — entirely  the  gift  of  a Mr. 
Yasukawa — has  250  students.  These  are  flourishing,  and 
at  the  time  of  my  visit  were  about  to  be  brought  within 
the  governmental  line  of  standardized  degrees  with  state 
recognition.  The  mission  schools  and  colleges  are  not  with- 
out importance,  but  I am  here  concerning  myself  with  the 
purely  Japanese  efforts  only. 

The  loafing,  dodging,  sporting  element  among  the 
students  is  almost  entirely  lacking.  There  are  a few  like 
Keio  and  Waseda  that  make  a capital  show  at  baseball, 
but  the  overwhelming  majority  are  hard  students  and  play 
only  as  part  of  their  exercise.  The  work  goes  on  under 
pressure. 

It  is  not  only  in  the  great  cities  that  one  finds  the 
glowing  enthusiasm.  Never  have  I seen  a school  better 
outfitted  with  costly  appliances  and  modern  tools  for  every 
branch  of  mechanical  engineering,  electrical  engineering, 
mining  and  metallurgy  than  the  Port  Arthur  Technical 
Institute,  which  is  under  Government  aegis  there,  and  is 
said  to  be  generously  helped  by  the  South  Manchuria 
Railroad.  I doubt  that  there  is  a finer,  more  powerful 
plant  in  the  Empire;  few  better  anywhere  in  the  world. 


56 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


It  was  a great  surprise  at  the  scene  of  the  great  siege.  It 
was  founded  in  1910.  Students  go  to  it  from  all  parts  of 
Japan,  and  certainly  in  the  beautiful  climate  and  cleanly 
arrangement  they  live  in  the  healthiest  of  surroundings. 
In  Korea  the  many  industrial  schools  for  Koreans  are 
excellent  for  men  and  women,  the  curriculum  at  Seoul 
covering  carpentry,  cabinet  making,  weaving,  paper 
making,  iron  work,  soap  making,  pottery — the  imitations 
of  the  olden  inlaid  celadon  pieces  found  in  ancient  Korean 
graves  being  particularly  fine.  It  may  be  said  that  Dr. 
Toyonaga,  the  director,  reports  the  Korean  youth  as 
quick  to  learn.  Here  as  elsewhere  the  impression  was 
of  work  at  full  blast  and  there  are  a dozen  such  in 
Korea. 

Woman’s  education  is  also  looked  after  with  the  greatest 
liberality.  Outside  the  high  schools  all  over  Japan,  which 
I have  noted  earlier,  there  are  many  institutions  that 
perform  great  service.  The  high  school  curriculum  is 
excellent,  the  special  studies  being  housekeeping,  sewing, 
music  and  gymnastics.  In  almost  all  cooking  holds  a high 
place. 

There  were  three  institutions  in  Tokyo  that  I visited 
which  interested  me  greatly.  The  Japan  Women’s 
University  of  Tokyo  not  only  serves  the  higher  class  of 
students  but  takes  little  girls  from  the  kindergarten  age 
and  carries  them  up  through  primary  school  and  high 
school  to  the  university  course  itself.  It  harbours  1,100 
girls  and  young  women  of  all  grades,  with  489  high  school 
pupils.  The  compound  is  not  far  from  the  University  of 
Tokyo.  I saw  several  of  the  higher  classes  at  work,  healthy- 
looking  young  women,  sober  enough  at  recitations,  but 
who  could  go  romping  from  one  building  to  another  in  jolly 
“Western”  schoolgirl  style  when  rmsuspicious  of  foreign 
eyes.  The  standard  of  studies  is  not  so  high  as  in  the  male 
institutions,  and  while  recognizing  individuality  holds  that 


JAPAN’S  EDUCATIONAL  FURORE 


57 


woman ’s  business  is  matrimony,  home  making,  home  build- 
ing, care  and  upbringing  of  children,  with  all  of  the 
elegance,  courtesy  and  morality  that  the  model  wife  and 
mother  implies.  Presently  it  must  be  broadened,  for 
1 woman  in  civilized  lands  now  wants  her  share  of  the  higher 
I learning. 

The  classes  in  English  are  pointed  to  with  pride.  It 
I graduates  over  one  hundred  students  every  year  in  the 

I university  course.  The  second  school  I have  specially  in 

mind  is  the  Women’s  Industrial  School,  where  1,300  girls 
are  taught  in  a three  years’  course  embroidery,  flower 
I making,  tailoring,  dressmaking,  cookery,  knitting  and  so 
1 on.  Admission  is  by  examination,  a certain  standard  of 
general  education  being  necessary.  It  was  an  exhilarating 
i sight  to  see  these  girls  and  young  women  in  classrooms 
holding  from  a dozen  to  fifty  and  sixty,  some  working 
seated  on  benches,  others  on  the  floor,  and  in  one  case 
200  girls  in  the  assembly  room  listening  to  a lecture  on 
morals  by  Mme.  Hatoyama,  head  of  the  institute  and 
widow  of  a vice-minister  of  foreign  affairs.  It  really 
] looked  young  Japan  in  its  busiest,  most  hopeful  mood. 
Some  of  the  embroidery  was  of  a high  order  and  the 
artificial  flower  making  was  beautifully  delicate. 

The  third  school  was  Miss  Tsuda’s  school  for  young 
women.  Her  specialty  is  the  teaching  of  English,  which 
she  speaks  perfectly,  combined  with  a general  polite  edu- 
cation. Many  of  the  pupils  are  boarders — those  from  other 
cities  as  well  as  some  from  Tokyo.  Her  pupils  from  the 
capital  include  girls  of  the  best  and  oldest  families  and  a 
1 glance  at  the  faces  of  the  graduating  class  shows  a high 
intelligence  and  Japanese  refinement.  The  arrangements 
were  all  so  thorough  and  the  sense  of  academic  precision 
' combined  with  the  amenities  of  home  life  that  one  felt 
inelined  to  look  on  it  as  a model.  Miss  Tsuda  founded  the 
I school  years  ago  and  believes  in  the  individuality  of  women 


58 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


and  the  studying  of  the  student’s  bent.  She  is  an  earnest, 
ingratiating  little  body  and  serves  excellent  tea. 

It  would  be  wrong  not  to  mention  the  Women’s  Higher 
Normal  School,  where  I was  so  kindly  treated  and  its 
purposes  were  explained.  A kindergarten,  an  elementary 
school  and  a high  school  are  included.  They  have  600 
pupils  and  the  course  includes  a literature  course,  a service 
course  and  an  art  course.  Post-graduate  elective  courses, 
and  a special  course,  include  mathematics,  physics, 
chemistry,  household  management,  Japanese  language  and 
gymnastics.  There ! It  was  all  apparently  well  managed. 
I happened  into  the  kindergarten  when  the  four-year-old 
tots  were  at  lunch  seated  around  a table  about  a foot  above 
the  floor.  To  see  these  mites  open  their  tin  lunch-hoxes 
and  manipulate  a pair  of  chopsticks,  fetching  out  a mouth- 
ful of  boiled  rice  or  a single  pea  with  equal  certainty,  made 
me  feel  abashed.  It  was  “awfully  cute.” 


I 


CHAPTER  VI 


JAPANESE  MANLY  SPORTS 

Baseball’s  growing  popularity — Growing  skill  in  and  spread  of 
tennis — Sumo  and  the  great  Japanese  wrestlers — Judo,  or 
jiu-jitsu,  the  famous  wrestling  game  and  its  athletic  votaries 
— An  inspiring  sport — The  Japanese  smile — Wild  bouts  of 
fencing  with  two-handed  swords. 

One  used  to  wonder  years  ago  when  bands  of  Japanese 
acrobats  toured  the  world  if  their  skill  was  exceptional  and 
whether  all  the  people  of  that  distant,  little-known  land 
were  equally  able  to  walk  up  poles  and  balance  themselves 
with  flowery  umbrellas  on  perilous  places  high  in  the  air. 
We  know  better  now,  but  there  is  something  in  the  thought. 
The  Japanese  is  born  to  physical  exercise  if  not  to  athletics. 
He  is  in  the  nature  of  things  sturdy  on  his  relatively  short 
legs  and  strong  as  a cat  because  shanks’  mare  over  a 
country  of  hills  and  hollows  has  been  almost  the  only 
carrier  not  only  of  himself  but  his  belongings.  Naturally, 
too,  when  speed  was  necessary  he  must  make  it  himself. 
The  pride  of  swift,  strong  carriage  and  the  pride  of  burden- 
bearing went  together,  and  all  the  men  and  the  peasant 
portion  of  the  women  shared  it.  Thus  all  were  potential 
athletes. 

That  is  true  of  the  whole  people,  but  of  a special  class, 
the  samurai  or  fighting  men,  the  care  of  the  body  from 
the  point  of  cultivating  strength,  suppleness  and  skill  in 
exercise  was  its  habit,  most  rigidly  enforced.  The  vigour 
and  cheer  with  which  women  work  in  the  fields  rob  the  fact 
of  their  doing  such  work  at  all  of  what  Americans  would 

59 


60 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


call  inhumanity.  The  work  must  be  done;  they  are  there 
to  do  it,  and  why  not  fall  to  with  a will  ? 

Roaming  one  day  along  the  shores  of  Lake  Biwa  I 
stopped  a moment  to  watch  a band  of  busy  peasants  at 
work  bringing  rich  black  mud  from  the  lakeside  to  enrich 
their  little  patches  of  land.  They  were  using  every  means 
of  carrying  the  stuff — wheelbarrows,  carts,  sacks,  baskets. 
Never  shall  I forget  the  flash  of  glad  pride  in  the  eye  of  a 
stout-built  little  woman  of  forty  in  a minimum  of 
dark-blue  garments  and  in  bare  feet  as  she  fairly 
skipped  by  with  a swinging  stride  carrying  two  enormous 
baskets  of  wet  earth  balanced  on  a yoke.  It  would 
have  been  overmuch  for  many  a man.  I took  off  my  hat 
to  her. 

The  sports  of  such  a people  are  likely  to  do  with  feats  of 
strength,  and  hence  the  professional  wrestler  and  the  high 
amateur  sport  of  judo,  or  jiu-jitsu,  hold  the  lofty  places 
in  popular  estimation.  Fencing  of  the  two-handed  sword 
type  has  its  votaries.  All  sorts  of  minor  sports,  running, 
imitation  of  cock  fighting,  archery,  battledore — the  latter 
among  women — have  a place  in  native  sports.  The  great 
sport  from  abroad  likely  in  the  end  to  be  the  most  popular 
of  all  is  baseball.  The  Japanese  is  especially  built  for  it 
in  his  speed  and  alertness.  The  Keio  University  team  and 
the  Waseda  University  team  have  set  the  pattern  for  the 
colleges  and  high  schools,  and  soon  every  village  will  have 
its  exemplars  of  the  twirling  sphere.  Every  afternoon 
teams  of  schoolboys  may  be  seen  playing  in  Hibya  Park, 
Tokyo,  with  all  the  accompaniments  of  “Kill  the  umpire!” 
and  “Slide,  Hideyoshi,  slide!”  Lawn  tennis  is  finding 
favour,  but  more  slowly.  There  are  many  courts  and  a 
growing  number  of  adepts.  The  visit  of  Mr.  Kumagai  and 
his  companion  to  the  United  States,  the  prompt  recognition 
of  his  skill  and  the  wide  welcome  given  him  everywhere, 
will  no  doubt  react  largely  in  favour  of  the  game  in  Japan. 


1.  PROFESSOR  JIGORO  KANO 

2.  JUIK)  CLASS  AT  PRACTICE  BEFORE  DAWN  IN  WINTER  TIME 


1.  THE  MUSCLES  OF  CHAMPION  TACHIVAMA 

2.  TWO  YOUNGER  WRESTLERS  AT  CLOSE  QX'ARTERS 


JAPANESE  MANLY  SPORTS 


61 


Its  quickening  in  the  colleges  and  high  schools  will  un- 
doubtedly follow. 

The  holding  of  the  Olympic  games  of  the  Far  East  at 
Tokyo  in  1917  has  given  a great  impetus  to  all  ath- 
letics in  Japan.  The  running  and  jumping  surprised 
many. 

Professional  wrestling,  “sumo,”  is  among  the  olden 
sports  of  Japan.  In  former  times  the  wrestlers  were  the 
pets  of  the  rich  provincial  daimios — the  feudal  lords — and 
twice  a year  they  assembled  from  all  Japan  at  Yedo  and 
gave  great  exhibitions.  Nowadays  they  form  a class  by 
themselves,  into  which  entrance  can  only  be  gained  by 
aspirants  who,  first  setting  out  as  pupils  of  the  great 
wrestlers,  are  given  a chance  to  gain  entrance  into  the 
lowest  class  and  so  to  work  up  to  the  front  rank  in  the 
course  of  six  or  seven  years,  if  they  are  ever  to  “make  it.” 

As  the  geishas  are  chosen  from  among  the  prettiest  girls 
of  the  poorer  classes,  and  work  for  years  under  close 
tutelage  to  learn  the  arts  and  graces  of  their  calling,  so 
the  wrestlers  are  taken  from  the  tallest  and  most  robust 
of  the  working  people,  and  have  for  years  to  undergo  an 
apprenticeship  with  only  one  object,  viz.,  the  ability  to 
exert  tremendous  muscular  power  for  a few  minutes  at  a 
time.  The  wrestlers  run  anywhere  from  five  feet  seven  to 
six  feet  and  over.  Champion  Tachiyama  being  two  inches 
and  a half  above  six  feet.  As  long  endurance  is  not 
called  for  they  are  careless  of  the  accumulation  of  bodily 
fat,  indeed,  most  desirous  of  it,  as  the  added  weight  makes 
it  harder  to  budge  them,  and  the  vast  expanse  of  flesh  is 
the  harder  to  grab.  They  are  enormous  feeders  and  large 
nieat  eaters  and  sake  consumers. 

There  are  five  grades,  none  of  them  drawing  large 
salaries,  but  they  generally  manage  to  live  decently  by  gifts 
from  rich  admirers.  The  men  are  classed  in  two  divisions, 
the  East  and  the  West,  once  doubtless  a matter  of  the 


62 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


geographical  origin  of  the  athletes,  but  now  wholly  arbi- 
trary. When  a festival  is  declared  the  men  are  called  to 
face  each  other  from  these  two  divisions.  When  one  of 
the  wrestlers  in  either  camp  has  defeated  all  the  ten 
brought  against  him  in  a tournament  at  Tokyo,  including 
members  of  the  highest  class,  called  ozeki,  he  is  in  the 
championship  class  and  may  be  elected  by  the  high  com- 
mittee of  wrestlers,  Hinoshita  Kaisan — supreme  champion 
— and  entitled  to  wear  the  yokozuna  or  hempen  belt — a 
relic  of  the  very  old  days  of  the  sport. 

They  wear  their  hair  long  and  carry  it  braided  in  a 
fancy  knot  on  the  tops  of  their  heads,  giving  them  a red 
Indian  look,  very  gay  and  debonair.  In  the  ring  their  feet 
are  bare  and  they  wear  only  a loin  cloth.  Although  among 
the  higher  men  you  will  meet  many  monstrosities  of 
adipose  tissue  'the  large  majority  are  tall,  long-limbed  and 
beautifully  made  and  muscled. 

It  was  in  the  large  amphitheatral  hall  at  Nagoya  that  I 
first  saw  them  wrestle,  and  although  they  were  not  of  the 
highest  class  it  was  in  a way  more  interesting  than  the 
wrestling  at  the  great  wrestling  festival  at  Tokyo,  where 
I saw  the  enormous  men  of  the  champion  class  at  hand- 
grips. For  instance,  the  bouts  between  the  contestants, 
all  fine,  sinewy  young  men,  were  best  two  out  of  three, 
which  exhibited  all  the  wrestler’s  best  points,  as  falls  were 
never  decided  in  succession  along  the  same  line  of  grips 
or  throws. 

The  ring  is  set  in  the  centre  of  the  hall  on  a raised 
platform  about  three  feet  high,  in  a circle  of  soft  earth 
about  fifteen  feet  in  diameter,  with  a line  drawn  clear 
around  its  edge.  If  the  wrestler  can  push,  pull  or  lift 
his  opponent  so  that  any  part  of  his  body  crosses  the  line 
it  is  his  bout.  Equally  if  he  throws  him  or  bears  so  upon 
him  that  even  one  finger  touches  the  ground  he  wins.  It 
is  hot  work  while  it  lasts,  but  it  is  only  a few  seconds. 


JAPANESE  MANLY  SPORTS 


63 


and  the  higher  the  grade  of  wrestler  the  shorter  the 
time  of  actual  struggle.  The  preliminaries  take  time, 
however. 

While  at  Nagoya  we  saw  twenty  couples  wrestle  their 
three  falls  in  ninety  minutes,  or  less  than  five  minutes 
each.  At  Tokyo,  with  the  great  ones,  only  one  fall  is  given 
each  man,  and  the  general  proportion  was  six  minutes  of 
preliminaries  to  six  seconds  or  less  of  action.  The  hall 
at  Nagoya  was  a new  iron  structure,  modelled  on  that  at 
Tokyo,  only  smaller,  so  one  description  will  answer  for 
both.  It  is,  as  I have  said,  amphitheatral,  and  there  are 
no  chairs.  The  audience  squats  in  squared-off  spaces  on 
cushions.  Our  party,  however,  was  politely  given  chairs. 

The  ring  in  the  centre  has  four  corner  poles  and  a 
roof,  the  latter  evidently  a relic  of  the  time  the  contests 
were  in  the  open  air  and  sun  and  rain  were  to  be  guarded 
against.  The  ritual  is  curious. 

The  next  two  or  three  contestants  following  those 
actually  engaged  sit  on  benches  east  and  west  of  the  ring. 
There  is  an  umpire  in  a long  ornate  priestly  gown  who 
carries  a closed  fan  with  a long  tassel,  and  an  announcer, 
who  calls  the  names  of  the  pair,  as:  “Golden  Hills  from 
the  East  and  Red  Mountain  from  the  West”  (the  wrestlers 
all  use  stage  names  expressive  of  strength). 

Clad  only  in  black  or  purple  loin  cloth  they  rose  as 
their  names  were  called  and  mounted  the  platform,  kneeling 
opposite  each  other  and  making  a ceremonious  bow,  with 
their  knuckles  on  the  floor.  Then  they  arose  and  went 
through  a limbering  up  process.  With  an  outward  circular 
swing  of  the  right  leg  they  brought  the  foot  down  with  a 
stamp  and  followed  suit  with  the  left.  Then,  with  both 
legs  well  apart,  they  lowered  their  bodies  until-  the  calves 
touched  the  thighs,  the  heels  off  the  ground.  Then  they 
rose  with  a spring,  walked  to  a corner  post,  took  a pinch 
of  salt  from  a bag  and  scattered  it — for  luck.  In  an 


64 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


instant  they  were  crouched  facing  each  other  and  at 
liberty  to  begin. 

They  watch  each  other  intently,  the  umpire  bending  over 
between  them.  One  generally  makes  a spring  toward  his 
opponent,  often  touching  him,  but  the  other  says ; ‘ ‘ Mate ! ’ ’ 
i.e.,  wait.  He  is  not  ready.  Then  they  rise,  walk  about, 
stretch,  take  a drink  of  water  and  come  back,  and  once 
more  “set,”  this  tilne  about  six  feet  apart.  From  the 
moment  the  “set”  looks  like  business  the  umpire  sets  up  a 
sort  of  chirruping.  Finally,  both  wrestlers  arise  together, 
giving  a single  shout,  and  fly  at  each  other.  It  should  be 
understood  that  you  may  grip  your  opponent’s  loin  cloth 
and  may  push,  pull,  lift  or  trip  or  use  any  of  the  wrestler’s 
forty-eight  tricks,  but  you  must  use  an  open  hand,  and 
may  not  strike,  butt  or  kick. 

Their  attacks  were  as  various  as  their  physique.  Some 
flew  at  their  opponents  and  got  to  handgrips  immediately. 
Others  beat  the  air,  much  as  a struggling  cat  would,  shift- 
ing their  ground  and  circling  the  ring.  A first  attempt  to 
push  out  the  other  seldom  succeeded.  To  avoid  that  seemed 
the  A B C of  the  game.  In  all  bouts  they  were  soon  inter- 
locked, their  hands  clasping  the  foeman’s  slippery  body  or 
clutching  for  the  loin  cloth  at  the  side  or  back  of  it.  They 
keep  their  legs  wide  apart  to  give  a stronger  base,  and 
strain  with  the  arms  and  upper  part  of  the  body,  seeking 
to  throw  the  other  off  his  balance,  or  by  a sudden  shift  to 
throw  him  over  the  hips.  There  is  no  question  about  the 
strenuousness  and  the  skill.  Sometimes  a man,  apparently 
about  to  be  thrown,  by  reaching  down  the  other’s  back 
during  a hot  struggle  grips  the  loin  cloth,  and  holds  solid. 
Sometimes  both  fall  apparently  together,  but  some  one 
detects  a difference.  There  is  an  appeal.  It  is  a long 
business,  but  generally  a “draw”  is  declared,  after  con- 
sultations in  which  each  side  votes  solid  for  its  own  man. 

There  was  one  amusing  bout.  A powerful  fat  man,  fat 


JAPANESE  MANLY  SPORTS 


65 


all  over,  but  obviously  very  strong,  towered  above  his  foe 
and  stamped  and  spread  and  swaggered  in  great  shape: 
“Lofty  Summit  of  the  West.”  His  meagre,  bright-eyed 
opponent  was  “Little  Whirlpool  of  the  East.”  After  the 
usual  preliminaries  the  fat  man  advanced  confidently  on 
the  little  one,  reaching  over  to  take  him  by  the  shoulders. 
Quick  as  a flash  Little  Whirlpool  ducked,  clasped  the 
mountainous  fellow  about  the  hips,  lifted  him  bodily  from 
the  ground  and  planted  him  on  his  feet  outside  the  ring. 
The  audience  roared. 

The  giant  seemed  to  enjoy  it,  too,  it  was  so  surprising. 
In  the  next  two  rounds  the  little  man  w’ent  to  the  earth  in 
double-quick  order,  and  as  Little  Whirlpool  turned  to  go 
down.  Lofty  Summit,  smiling,  tapped  him  on  the  shoulder 
as  saying : ‘ ‘ How  dare  you,  you  little  shrimp ! ’ ’ then  walked 
contentedly  to  his  side  of  the  ring,  squatted  on  his  heels 
and  saluted  the  house,  while  the  umpire  pointed  his  fan 
at  him,  and  cried  “Lofty  Summit  of  the  West.”  The  little 
man  had,  as  is  customary,  shot  down  a diagonal  passage 
out  of  the  theatre,  while  the  victor  waited  to  serve  the  next 
man  on  his  side  with  water,  if  he  needed  a drink. 

At  Tokyo  the  hall  is  very  large  and  holds  an  audience  of 
13,000  people.  For  the  better  places  you  must  hire  your 
seats  well  in  advance.  So  much  hangs  upon  the  single  bout 
which  an  athlete  is  alloAved  in  a day  that  the  preliminary 
stretching,  spreading,  stamping,  salt  sprinkling,  water 
drinking  and  walking  round  seems  endless.  The  muscular 
displays  were,  however,  magnificent.  Each  contestant  had 
followers  who  hailed  him.  I saw  some  sixty  couples  engage, 
all  powerful  men.  “Mount  Shaka,”  a superb  five-feet-ten 
man,  disposed  of  “Great  Cascade,”  of  .six  feet  two  inches, 
after  a lightning  grapple  of  four  seconds.  “Silken  River” 
of  the  East  faced  “Sandstone”  of  the  West — two  splen- 
didly matched  specimens  of  big  men.  “Sandstone”  won 
Avith  a mighty  effort  in  six  seconds. 


68 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


The  appearance  of  Champion  Tachiyama,  or  “ Sword 
Mountain,”  was  reserved  for  the  last  bout  of  the  day.  To 
retain  his  championship  he  must  defeat  every  man  brought 
against  him  for  the  ten  days  of  the  tournament.  He  had 
already  thrown  six  on  successive  days  and  was  greeted  with 
a long  storm  of  cheers  when  he  appeared  and  began  to 
stamp,  stretch  and  spread.  He  was  good  enough  to  pose 
before  the  camera  for  me  after  the  championship  was 
secured  to  him,  and  I must  say  he  seemed  easily  the  finest 
man  of  all  I saw. 

He  stands  very  erect.  His  measurements  are:  Height, 
6 feet  2.56  inches;  round  the  chest,  51.30  inches;  weight, 
296  pounds.  He  was  born  in  1877,  making  him  then 
thirty-seven  years  old. 

His  opponent  that  afternoon  was  a smaller  man,  but 
muscular,  wiry  and  wary.  I thought  of  the  bout  I have 
described  at  Nagoya,  and  wondered  what  would  happen. 
The  preliminaries  were  prolonged,  with  this  excuse  that 
the  audience  could  not  see  too  much  of  Tachiyama ’s  fine 
poses.  At  last  they  Avere  “set”  with  the  aspect  of  an 
immediate  clash  coming.  Sure  enough!  But  it  Avas  over 
in  two  seconds.  The  shorter  man  crouched  as  if  ready  to 
sidestep  Avhen  Tachiyama  came  for  him,  but  there  was  no 
time. 

With  one  terrific  spring  he  had  the  wiry  fellow  in  his 
grasp  and  flung  him  outside  the  ring,  following  him  him- 
self, coming  doAvn  upon  him  like  a falling  cliff  OA^er  the 
bank  and  sliding  doAvn  head  foremost  to  the  floor  of  the 
house.  It  looked  as  if  the  champion  must  have  hurt  him- 
self, and  that  the  breath,  at  least,  had  been  crushed  out  of 
the  under  man,  but  both  arose  unharmed,  and  the  audience 
rose  and  roared  “Tachiyama”  as  the  Avrestler  knelt  and 
saluted. 

Judo  is  altogether  different,  not  only  in  action  and  pur- 
pose but  in  its  votaries.  We  have  heard  much  of  it  in  the 


.1 A I'ANESE  EE.\C1  NG 


JAPANESE  MANLY  SPORTS 


67 


United  States  for  the  last  dozen  years,  but  you  must  see  it 
at  Professor  Kano’s  academy  at  Tokyo  to  witness  it  in  its 
glory.  The  professor  has  been  teaching  it  for  thirty  years. 
It  was  he  who  at  that  early  day  took  the  three  styles  of 
judo  and  made  one  comprehensive  system  of  them  all.  Let 
it  be  said,  first  of  all,  that  it  is  a system  of  defence  or 
offence  in  wrestling  by  which  skill  takes  advantage  of  an 
opponent ’s  strength  in  attack  to  defeat  him. 

It  rests  primarily,  according  to  Professor  Kano,  who  was 
most  courteous  and  painstaking  in  his  explanations  to  me, 
on  the  simple  proposition  that  when  equilibrium  is  de- 
stroyed a man  falls  or  may  be  thrown  easily.  This  was  the 
samurai  system,  used  by  those  tough  and  polished  soldiers 
of  the  old  regime.  One  of  their  feats  was  to  throw  a man 
in  armour  in  such  a way  as  to  break  his  neck.  Then  there 
was  the  judo  of  the  criminal  classes  that  aimed  at  choking 
or  breaking  the  limbs,  even  taking  the  life  of  a victim. 
Lastly  there  was  the  police  judo  aimed  equally  at  subduing 
an  opponent  by  choking  or  otherwise  for  the  purpose  of 
making  arrests,  yet  stopping  short  of  homicide.  Professor 
Kano’s  system  must  be  seen  in  action  to  be  appreciated. 

Visiting  his  academy  one  afternoon  we  saw  fifty  to  sixty 
couples  of  young  men,  from  seventeen  to  twenty-five, 
engaged  in  practice.  They  wore  short  white  drawers  and 
thick  linen  jackets,  buttonless  in  front  and  showing  the 
bare  breasts. 

It  was  an  inspiring  sight.  Each  couple  fought,  according 
to  the  rules,  with  a vigour  and  dash  that  left  nothing  to  be 
desired.  Not  a word  was  said.  The  floor  was  thickly 
matted.  The  men  were  barefoot.  Each  grasped  his  op- 
ponent’s coat  lapel.  They  pulled,  tripped,  recovered, 
strained,  and  presently  down  went  one  with  a crash.  Up 
again  and  at  it  again.  Crash,  crash,  down  they  were  going 
all  over  the  place.  It  was  a continual  slap,  bang,  fall  and 
rise.  Sometimes  one  on  the  floor  struggled  with  another 


68 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


on  top  of  him  with  a strangle  hold.  They  writhed,  puffed, 
sweated,  but  it  went  on  until  one  was  so  overcome  that  he 
tapped  the  floor  with  hand  or  foot,  or  else  both  were 
utterly  fatigued  and  blown.  When  the  struggles  reached 
their  limit  the  men  simply  rose,  bowed  to  each  other,  smiled 
and  stood  aside  for  a few  minutes’  rest.  Loss  of  temper, 
even  the  slightest  exhibition  of  it,  is  against  all  the  rules, 
and  this  discipline  of  the  temper  is  one  of  the  most  bene- 
flcial  results  of  the  game.  To  the  foreign  observer  it 
largely  explains  what  he  has  been  taught  to  marvel  at 
under  the  title  of  “the  Japanese  smile’’ — the  smile  that 
persists  under  the  most  adverse  circumstances.  It  is  the 
iron  rule  of  politeness,  never  of  course  so  needed  as  when 
the  temper  is  strained.  Lafcadio  Hearn’s  anecdote  of  the 
rich  American  who  hired  an  impoverished  samurai,  who 
always  smiled  in  politeness  when  the  American  abused  him 
in  strong  language,  is  typical.  The  American  took  the 
smile  for  disdain  and  defiance,  and  abused  the  man  the 
more.  One  morning  in  despair  the  samurai — a man  of 
sixty — killed  himself  with  his  short  sword.  It  was  the  only 
reproach  he  felt  he  could  make  to  one  who  employed  him 
and  insulted  him.  Fortunately  it  seldom  comes  to  that. 

There  are  nine  grades  in  the  curriculum  of  judo,  and  it 
takes  about  three  years’  hard  work  to  reach  the  third 
grade.  Few  get  much  higher  and  there  are  some  who  never 
attain  even  the  first  grade.  In  the  winter  time  the  academy 
is  opened  long  before  dawn,  and  the  men  come  in  crowds 
to  practise  and  harden  themselves  working  in  the  cold. 

Later  on  I attended  an  exhibition  contest  in  the  same  hall 
and  witnessed  200  couples  take  falls  from  each  other  in 
rapid  succession.  The  bouts  lasted  four  minutes  at  the 
most.  At  the  end  of  three  minutes  a bell  was  rung  in 
warning,  so  that  they  finished  up  or  made  a draw.  There 
were  naturally  some  fine  exhibitions,  and  the  fortunes  of 
the  two  sides  fluctuated  all  the  afternoon  under  the  critical 


JAPANESE  MANLY  SPORTS 


69 


eyes  of  an  audience  of  judo  enthusiasts.  For  me,  however, 
the  afternoon  of  practice  was  more  attractive.  The  con- 
testants were  nearly  all  university  men,  high  commercial 
school  men,  artists,  government  officials,  fine  open-faced 
clean-limbed  young  fellows  to  a man. 

Professor  Kano,  a most  agreeable,  gentlemanly  man  with 
a black  moustache,  sat  at  a table  and  explained  much  of  the 
system  to  me  and  its  effect  in  making  for  true  manliness  of 
character.  In  the  hall  I met  Professor  Yamashita,  who 
taught  judo  to  Theodore  Roosevelt  at  the  White  House 
three  times  a week  for  three  years.  Theodore,  he  said,  was 
his  best  pupil ; that,  however,  he  was  very  heavy  and  very 
impetuous,  and  it  had  cost  the  poor  professor  many  bruis- 
ings,  much  worry  and  infinite  pains  during  Theodore’s 
rushes  to  avoid  laming  the  President  of  the  United  States. 
He  had  also  taught  the  Roosevelt  boys,  Mrs.  Robinson,  the 
President’s  sister,  and  Gifford  Pinehot.  He  liked  Wash- 
ington and  America. 

Another  day  I went  to  a fencing  class,  and  I think  it  is 
the  noisiest  sport  I ever  witnessed.  There  were  about 
twenty  couples  in  action,  wielding  two-handed  swords  made 
of  a number  of  bamboo  rods  bound  together.  The  men 
wore  a sort  of  mediaeval  armour.  There  is  doubtless  much 
skill  in  it,  but  it  looked  like  the  greatest  Donnybrook  you 
can  imagine.  They  leaped  at  each  other  with  a roar, 
swinging  the  sword  with  two  hands,  throwing  their  weight 
on  the  blows,  slashing  in  all  directions,  pushing  the  other 
chap  with  the  hilt  and  guard,  and  yelling  to  admiration. 
They  made  more  noise  than  a boiler  factory,  and  they  only 
rested  when  they  were  breathless. 

Young  Japan  is  surely  full  of  vim,  and  his  sports  are 
vehicles  of  mental  struggle  and  nervous  skill  as  well  as 
brute  force. 


CHAPTER  VII 


THE  GARDENS  OF  JAPAN 

Marking  the  year  by  flowers — The  cherry  festival — Flower 
airangement — The  whole  country  a garden — Landscape  effects 
sought — Magical  transplanting — Tree  and  flower  poetry’ — All 
sorts  of  gardens — The  Mitsui  and  Okuma  gardens — Hundreds 
of  years  of  tree-dwarfing — Okura’s  bosky  retreat — The  plaint 
of  a lady  from  London. 

It  was  as  lovers  of  flowers  that  the  Japanese  first  laid  hold 
of  the  Western  art  imagination.  Stories  of  their  flower 
festivals,  fantastic  tales  of  their  worship  of  the  cherry 
blossom,  of  the  lily,  the  plum,  the  azalea,  the  iris,  the  lotus 
and  chrysanthemum  florafied  the  popular  picture  of  Japan 
— the  women,  the  children,  garbed  in  bright  colours  walking 
about  under  many-ribbed  umbrellas.  I recall  a cherished 
Japanese  room  in  the  house  of  an  American  of  great  wealth 
— say  thirty  years  ago — a mass  of  crimson  lacquer,  bamboo 
furniture,  yellow  brocade  on  the  walls,  with  fioreated  hang- 
ings and  vases  of  flowers.  Nothing  like  it  under  the  sun, 
in  Japan  at  least. 

Dearly’  the  Japanese  love  flowers,  but  in  their  own  way. 
When  the  plum  trees  blossom  after  the  frost  they’  flock  on 
certain  days  to  view  them  and  enjoy  the  sight  and  the  scent 
of  them.  Later,  when  April  brings  the  exquisite  cherry 
blossoms,  it  also  brings  the  greatest  of  the  national  flower 
festivals,  and  in  still  greater  number  do  they  sally  forth — 
man,  woman  and  child — and  revel  in  the  joy  of  white  and 
delicate  pink  petals  that  cover  whole  parks  and  alleys  of 
trees  till  it  seems  as  if  the  last  word  of  nature’s  ecstasy 

70 


THE  GARDENS  OF  JAPAN 


71 


has  been  said.  They  spread  their  rugs  and  sit  beneath  the 
trees  and  eat  their  rice  and  cakes  and  drink  a little  sake 
and  sing  for  the  very  joy  of  living.  No  festival  in  all  the 
round  of  life  in  Japan  calls  forth  a more  universal 
response.  It  is  the  only  festival  at  whose  celebration  the 
sharp  eye  of  authority  winks  should  a celebrant’s  ecstasy 
for  cherry  blossoms  lead  to  an  excess  of  sake  with  a conse- 
quent uncertainty  of  gait  and  an  inclination  to  sing  aloud 
in  public.  Many  of  the  small  shopkeepers  or  tradesmen, 
the  pink  of  sobriety  all  the  year  round,  may  be  seen  among 
the  jolly  crowds  returning  to  Tokyo  afoot,  supported  on 
either  side  by  a compassionate  friend — hilariously  “full,” 
in  fact.  So  long  as  he  can  be  navigated  nobody  minds.  In 
the  mass,  however,  the  celebration  is  sober  enough. 

It  is  well  to  note  that  the  festal  cherry  of  Japan  is  of 
a kind  cultivated  entirely  for  its  magnificence  of  blossoms, 
the  fruit  that  comes  later  being  small  and  inferior.  The 
mountain  cherry,  the  true  Japanese  type,  is  a finer  tree. 
Its  vigour  and  splendour  are  well  expressed  in  the  short 
poem  that  every  Japanese  knows: 

If  one  should  ask — no  matter  whom — 

What  type  of  soul  Japan  has  won. 

Tell  him:— 

A mountain  cherry  tree  in  bloom, 

Splendid  before  the  rising  sun. 

Here,  according  to  Japanese  poetic  fashion  of  impli- 
cation, you  have  the  brave  picture  of  beauty  and  strength 
of  character  and  a glimpse  of  the  national  flag,  the  red 
ball  of  the  rising  sun  on  a wdiite  ground. 

Then  when  the  azaleas  follow  in  a score  of  gorgeous  tints, 
when  the  great  peonies  bloom,  when  the  virginal  iris  comes 
and  the  lotus  covers  the  ponds  with  huge  waxen  blossoms, 
red  and  white,  amid  the  greater  green  fronds,  above  all 
when  the  chrysanthemums  in  a score  of  hues  and  a hundred 


72 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


shapes  come  forth,  the  scenes  of  popular  outpouring  and 
quiet  family  feasting  are  repeated  in  varying  volume. 
The  festivals  are  things  apart,  preciously  regarded,  pre- 
pared for  by  age-won  skill  and  the  infinite  patience  of  the 
florist  and  the  gardener. 

It  is  an  affair  of  annual  celebration.  No  more  soberly 
clad  men  and  women  ever  went  about  the  business  of 
enjoying  themselves;  their  young  girls  and  the  little  chil- 
dren alone  face  the  festivities  in  colours  gay  to  the  eye. 
That  is  something  of  the  charm  of  it — the  outward  contrast, 
equally  lit  with  merriment  as  the  faces  of  all  may  be. 
Happy  should  be  the  people  who  count  time  by  the  coming 
of  the  flowers. 

It  is  well  to  think  of  that  when  you  take  up  the  tale  of 
the  Japanese  love  of  nature — the  blossoms  are  on  the  trees, 
the  flowers  are  on  their  stems  as  they  grow  on  land  or  in 
water — as  God  made  them.  An  art  not  more  than  500 
years  old  has  plucked  a few  branches  and  set  up  some  149 
rules  for  displaying  them — one,  two  or  three  at  a time 
in  a single  vase  for  sole  floral  adornment  of  a single  room. 
It  is  “ the  art  of  flower  arrangement,  ’ ’ quite  artificial  in  its 
results,  but  multiple  in  its  fine  symbolism  of  the  pure  and 
the  true  and  the  eternal,  all  taught  in  the  fleeting  life  of  a 
flower  standing  in  a vase  in  the  tokonoma.  Young  maidens 
adore  the  art  and  dream  of  new  combinations  of  curve  and 
bloom.  Busy  men  take  on  a dreamy  look  when  you  men- 
tion it.  The  flower  born  of  soil  and  sun  and  breeze  and 
the  mystery  of  transmitted  life  is  something  delicately 
sacred  in  their  eyes.  They  will  smile  and  look  at  you  as  one 
who  could  not  be  expected  to  understand. 

I visited  the  great  cotton  mill  of  Kanagafuchi  at  Hyogo 
with  thousands  of  women  and  girl  operatives,  whose  firm 
carries  welfare  work  and  care-taking  beneficence  to  sur- 
prising extremes.  Among  the  enterprises  was  a school  of 
flower  arrangement  with  hundreds  and  hundi’eds  of  bright- 


COKNKK  OK  rilK.  I'A I ,AC K CAUDKNS,  TOKYO 


,\N1)  ARTIFICIAI.  I.AKK,  TOKYO 


THE  GARDENS  OF  JAPAN 


73 


faced  adepts,  a wonderful  variety  in  their  three-stemmed 
bouquets.  At  the  Taisho  exposition  at  Tokyo  I saw 
another  such  exhibition  selected  from  the  offerings  of 
thousands  of  Tokyo  homes. 

Having  thus  taken  thought  of  the  outdoor  festal  way  of 
the  Japanese  with  flowers  in  the  mass  and  by  the  season,  as 
well  as  the  restrained  way  in  which  they  give  them  place 
in  their  homes,  let  us  put  ourselves  in  the  way  of  looking 
at  the  face  of  the  country  as  a whole.  It  is  simply  an 
enormous  garden  set  in  a frame  of  mountains  which  keep 
constantly  in  your  thoughts  the  idea  that  they  were  thrust 
upward  from  the  ocean  bed  just  long  enough  ago  to  have 
trees,  shrubs  and  grass  grow  on  them.  Bold,  rugged, 
craggy,  precipitous,  they  rise  in  groups  and  ranges  with 
outlying  spurs  and  naked  rocks  and  long  descending 
mounds.  The  valleys  between  are  sometimes  fairly  broad, 
oftenest  narrow. 

Take  this  picture  of  green  fantastic  hills  and  narrow 
valleys;  cover  the  valleys  with  a rich,  varied,  broadly 
patterned  crazy  quilt  of  cultivation.  Terrace  the  hills  with 
horizontal  strips  of  cultivation  until  the  slope  is  too  great 
for  human  handiwork  to  conquer.  Send  down  streams  by 
leaps  and  jumps  from  the  hills;  make  babbling  rivulets  and 
murmuring  rivers  through  the  vales;  seam  it  with  narrow 
roads;  put  down  villages  along  the  sides  of  the  hills,  and 
you  have  rural  Japan — arable  and  non-arable — a miracle 
garden  with  background  of  serrated  and  stately  hills.  Just 
now  its  most  vibrant  note  is  green  with  a score  of  modu- 
lations. Mostly  it  lies  under  a sky  of  tender  grey  with 
glimpses  of  blue  and  all  known  shapes  and  masses  of 
cumulus  and  cirrus  clouds  with  fanciful  foldings  of  mist 
along  the  higher  slopes.  It  is  a garden. 

We  have  looked  at  it  from  the  material  side  of  the 
farmer ; we  have  noted  its  human  song  of  constant,  cheerful 
labour ; we  have  perceived  its  implication  of  tender  worship 


74 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


of  the  soil  for  the  good  things  it  brings  forth.  The  peasant 
woman  bending  over  in  the  flooded  rice  fields  and  finding 
and  plucking  the  young  weeds  beneath  the  water  has 
seemed  a priestess  of  the  god  of  growing  plants,  whose 
home  is  on  Mount  Fuji;  but  now  we  are  looking  at  it  from 
the  viewpoint  of  a great  artistry.  Infinite  patience  in 
furrow  and  field ; infinite  care  of  the  goodly  growing  things 
have  conjoined  with  sun  and  water,  breeze  and  cloud,  with 
stately  tree,  wild  grass  and  ancient  moss  and  rock-ribbed 
mountain  to  make  an  infinitely  beautiful  picture.  That  is 
the  great  garden  of  Japan. 

And  the  gardens  of  Nippon,  as  we  think  of  gardens,  are 
consciously  or  unconsciously  made  on  that  magnificent 
model  from  the  gardens  of  the  Emperor  down  to  the  little 
gardens  no  larger  than  the  tray  on  which  the  waiter  will 
bring  you  cooling  waters — or  the  like  more  spirituously 
fortified — in  the  hour  before  dinner. 

So  a garden  in  J apan  is  not  as  with  us  primarily  a place 
of  flowers.  It  is  a condensed  landscape.  It  is  a bit  of 
the  shore  of  Lake  Biwa ; it  is  a fragment  of  Myajima ; it  is 
Nikko  in  miniscule;  it  is  Nara  or  Kioto  or  Myanoshita  in 
little.  That  is  to  say  it  has  hillside,  woodside,  waterside 
as  its  basis.  Gardening  is  a fine  art.  The  gardener  is  a 
man  with  as  much  authority  in  his  garden  as  the  head 
surgeon  in  a hospital,  or  a chef  in  the  kitchen  of  the 
mighty — a man  to  be  approached  with  great  consideration 
and  never  to  be  interfered  with.  He  belongs  to  one  of 
two  schools  that  seldom  make  any  fusion.  One  school  puts 
the  majesty  of  big  trees  at  the  back;  the  other  puts  them 
in  the  front.  Each  school  has  its  own  object  as  to  form; 
they  approach  each  other  in  the  worship  of  beauty  in 
nature. 

Every  tree  should  have  its  natural  form,  though  the 
eccentricity  of  trees  may  be  emphasized.  The  Japanese 
pine  tree,  for  instance,  unlike  ours,  does  not  grow  straight 


THE  GARDENS  OF  JAPAN 


75 


up,  but  has  a way  of  bending  abruptly  this  way  and  that. 
The  Japanese  gardener  says:  “All  right,  old  conifer,  the 
more  queer  elbows  you  have  the  better  I’ll  like  you,”  and 
he  gives  the  young  pine  an  extra  twist  or  two,  and  by  and 
by  he  will  have,  in  the  course  of  twenty  years  or  so,  a 
perfectly  ravishing  monstrosity  that  people  will  come  miles 
to  see  where  he  has  set  it  among  a growth  of  perfectly 
straight  maples  or  handsome  hinoki  or  keyaki.  The 
gardener  is  in  fact  a landscape  maker,  and  his  nursery  is 
a curious  thing.  Once  roaming  through  a village  we  came 
upon  a strange  looking  field  of  a ''ouple  of  acres  enclosed 
by  a wall. 

“Yes,”  said  an  old  farmer,  “it  is  curious;  it  belongs  to 
my  son.  You  see,  honourable  sir,  he  is  a master  gardener 
and  does  work  for  great  people  who  pay  him  well — indeed, 
very  well.” 

"Wliat  had  most  excited  our  curiosity  was  that  all  over 
the  place  were  rocks,  some  large,  some  small,  heaps  of 
white,  round,  water-washed  pebbles,  the  like  in  blue  with 
little  mountains  of  different  coloured  sands.  There  were 
some  trees,  but  rocks  and  stones  were  the  feature. 

“He  comes  here,  does  my  son,  at  sunset  and  contemplates 
his  rocks  for  a long  time,  and  again  at  dawn  he  will  be  here 
looking  at  them.  They  are  brought  to  him  often  a hundred 
' miles,  and  he  will  carry  them  it  may  be  another  hundred 
miles  to  some  garden  he  is  making.” 

Now  we  have  the  general  scenic  mould  for  Japanese 
, gardens,  the  motive  so  to  speak.  But  there  is  one  very 
potent  influence  yet  to  mention,  nameh%  the  temples.  These 
{ fanes  of  worship,  be  they  Buddhist  or  Shinto,  and  particu- 

l larly  if  they  are  Buddhist,  cling  to  the  hillsides  and  are 

' embow'ered  in  trees.  Even  among  the  smallest  and  poorest 
you  will  find  a stone  lantern  or  two  in  the  foreground. 
^ You  will  find  an  outdoor  belfry  and  a bell.  Reminiscences 
} of  the  temples,  therefore — a miniature  shrine,  a stone 

I 


76 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


lantern  or  two — will  be  apt  to  creep  into  the  garden  scheme 
and  give  it  in  Japanese  eyes  the  finishing  touch. 

The  Buddhist  priests  were  largely  the  poets  of  earlier 
Japan.  The  poor  people  worked,  tilled,  bought  and  sold. 
The  samurai,  the  knightly  men  of  arms,  practised  the  arts 
of  attack  and  defence  and  formulated  rules  of  conduct — for 
themselves  and  their  class — which  we  know  as  Bushido; 
the  daimios  or  great  lords  and  the  little  daimios  or  lordlings 
led  princely  lives,  and  poetry  and  the  literary  art  were  left 
to  the  priests  and  monks.  The  point  of  this  explanation 
is  that  they  formalized  in  words  the  whole  people’s  love 
of  nature,  as  only  poets  can,  and  monklike  refined  and 
euphemized  and  crystallized  the  expression  until  a line  of 
verse  became  so  fraught  with  allusion  and  symbolism  that 
it  took  scholarship  to  follow  and  realize,  while  a simple 
straight  meaning  lay  on  the  surface  for  the  common  mind 
to  see  and  understand. 

In  the  No  dramas  (of  which  we  shall  hear  later)  refer- 
ences to  nature  abound,  and  these  little  tragedies,  tragic 
episodes  and  spiritual  manifestations  have  become  a great 
part  of  the  classics  of  the  cultivated  Japanese,  who  quote 
them  to  each  other  in  their  gardens  in  the  hour  of  rest 
and  growing  dark  or  rising  moon. 

The  moon  shines  clear  between  the  cherry  trees. 

And  petals  dancing  downward  on  the  breeze. 

Like  fluttering  flakes  of  snow,  make  our  hearts  dance 
For  joy  with  them. 

Simple,  but  gladdening  is  it  not,  where  a Western  poet 
would  find  or  seek  a saddening  note? 

The  sweet  wild  cherry  blooms  that  grow 
In  Miyoshino  and  in  Shuga  too, 

The  maple  leaves  of  Tatsuta,  and  those 
Of  Hatsuse,  they  should  be  in  the  ken 
Of  those  who  lived  beside  the  poet’s  home. 


THE  GARDENS  OF  JAPAN 


77 


And  here  in  the  first  line  is  an  Oriental  simile: 

The  blossoms  open  like  brocade: 

The  brimming  pools  are  deep  and  blue. 

There  is  a whole  literature  of  the  pine  tree,  all  the 
conifers  indeed.  What  more  touching  than  this : 

Blest  are  the  very  firs 
In  that  they  meet 
To  grow  old  together. 

Every  one  in  Japan  who  can  at  all  manage  it  has  a 
garden.  It  may  be  not  more  than  the  size  of  a tablecloth, 
or  it  may  cover  a costly  acre  of  city  ground.  The  shop- 
keeper has  a hard  time  of  it,  among  the  huddled  little 
houses,  finding  footing  for  even  a single  plant  or  shoot  of 
a tree,  but  if  he  has  one  it  is  the  household  pet,  often  killed 
with  kindness.  In  private  dwellings  the  garden  is  at  the 
rear  or  side  of  the  house  and  will  have  many  of  the  features 
of  the  greater  gardens  reduced  in  scale. 

Sometimes  there  is  a single  tree  with  a banking  about  it 
of  a few  clumps  of  evergreens  or  a small  tuft  of  a blossom- 
ing plant,  little  dainty  touches  about  it  all  and  a sense  of 
completeness,  the  theory  being  that  the  garden  should  give 
rest  and  the  promise  of  peace  and  should  not  violently 
excite  the  senses,  as  our  gardens,  with  their  bright  masses 
of  flowers  multi-coloured,  are  apt  to  do. 

The  first  garden  of  a private  house  that  I saw  in  Tokyo 
was  more  ambitious.  It  belonged  to  a well-off  business 
man  whose  home  stood  in  one  of  the  hilly  quarters  of  the 
city.  The  house  was  on  the  street  level,  and  when  the  host 
had  made  me  comfortable  in  slippers  he  asked  me  to  his 
garden  while  dinner  was  preparing  for  the  honourable  com- 
pany. I expected  to  walk  out  on  a level  tract,  but  found 
myself  after  a few  paces  over  large,  irregular  flat  stones 


78 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


set  upon  a carpet  of  green  moss,  descending  a curving  stair 
whose  steps  were  made  of  cross-sections  of  three-inch  trees 
set  together  and  driven  down,  with  greenery  all  about  us, 
while  overhead  great  trees  were  waving  lazily  in  the 
evening  breeze. 

We  reached  an  open  space  covered  with  rounded  river 
pebbles  with  little  bowers  about,  a favourite  playground 
for  the  host’s  children.  At  one  turn  a little  shrine  ap- 
peared. A long  path  ran  along  the  side  of  the  eminence 
on  which  the  house  stood  just  outside  amid  the  green.  The 
long  path  had  an  ascending  stair  of  its  own.  The  view 
upward  was  verdant,  gracious,  restful,  and  the  sense  of 
seclusion  actual.  One’s  gaze  passed  from  the  trunks  to 
the  branches  and  then  to  the  crests  of  maple,  oak  and 
other  trees,  among  them  a decaying  giant  of  former  days. 

The  ground,  you  see,  fell  away  from  the  house  and  had 
been  treated  in  such  a masterly  way  that  you  had,  in  the 
midst  of  the  city,  the  sense  of  a house  on  a hilltop  rising 
from  a green  valley  with  a half-dozen  different  vistas.  One 
view  of  it  in  which  a mother’s  love  had  set  her  fairest 
flowers  I was  lucky  enough  to  secure. 

Tokyo  is  famous  for  its  great  gardens.  First  of  all  there 
are  the  imperial  gardens  within  the  palace,  and  around  the 
princely  houses  of  the  Mikado’s  family  without,  and  then 
the  gardens  of  the  nobles.  Many  of  these  are  over  two 
hundred  years  old,  but  loving  care  has  preserved  their 
charm.  Water  in  artificial  lakes,  ponds  and  falls  is  made 
much  use  of,  and  views  of  the  rarest  charm  are  obtainable 
in  them  from  many  sides.  Under  the  Tokugawa  Shogunate 
it  may  be  recalled  that  the  daimios  were  obliged  to  live  in 
Yedo — the  city’s  older  name — every  alternate  year  with 
an  army  of  retainers.  Hence  every  great  lord  in  Japan 
was  obliged  to  keep  a costly  house  in  town,  with  rooms  in 
outlying  apartments  for  his  followers. 

They  were  encouraged  to  spend  money  lest  they  grow 


THE  GARDENS  OF  JAPAN 


79 


too  rich,  and  the  result  was  hundreds  of  superb  gardens 
with  trees  now  of  great  girth  and  majesty.  You  would 
suspect  the  existence  of  none  of  them,  for  the  seelusive 
system  that  makes  high  walls  the  rule  in  Europe  and 
Asia,  and  which  is  happily  wanting  in  America,  prevails 
here,  where  in  the  old  days  a garden  was  really  part  of  a 
fortress.  Some  sense  of  their  beauties  may  be  gathered 
from  the  illustrations.  The  remarkable  feature  of  all  is 
the  sense  of  size  and  distance  in  a relatively  small 
area. 

It  was  my  good  fortune  to  have  the  company  of  Baron 
Mitsui  in  visiting  the  garden,  or  rather  series  of  gardens, 
that  are  grouped  about  his  palace.  The  Baron’s  family 
have  been  bankers  for  two  centuries  and  their  name  is  in 
every  notable  enterprise  in  the  country,  and  latterly  out  of 
it.  First  of  all  he  has  a beautiful  lawn  around  the  house, 
and  back  of  it  on  every  side  stretch  the  gardens.  The 
treatment  of  a single  pine  tree  standing  boldly  out  was  ol 
one  type  with  rockeries  rising  behind  it  and  masses  of 
flowering  pink  azaleas  at  the  side.  Then  on  either  side 
beyond  the  lawn  were  woodland  views  with  real  streams 
purling  over  beds  of  white  stone  under  marble  bridges 
amid  tangles  of  bushes  beneath  overhanging  trees;  then 
woodland  paths  leading  to  bosky  dells  in  a green  twilight — 
where  little  houses  for  rustic  rest  invited.  There  were  half 
a dozen  such  gardens,  each  sounding  a different  scenic  note 
as  we  walked. 

The  more  one  sees  of  them  the  more  one  wonders.  There 
is  a national  character  deducible  from  them  all.  They 
proceed  by  the  mass,  and  where  we  bank  flowers  thej' 
modulate  trees.  Pine,  maple,  cryptomerias  and  a kind  of 
oak  that  grows  to  an  enormous  size  are  the  favourite  trees. 
Shrubs  are  treated  by  the  mass  also,  a broken  harmonious 
skyline  of  branches  at  the  top  of  an  acclivity  with  rough 
rocks  appearing  at  their  bases.  Plants,  flowers,  shrubs 


80 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


are  low  notes  in  the  composition.  A dark-red  maple  that 
does  not  grow  very  high  is  a favourite  in  foregrounds  of 
trees. 

Water  is  led  singing  over  rocks  in  small  cascades. 
Where  water  is  not,  a rivulet  is  simulated  by  drooping 
bushes  along  the  border  and  pebbles  along  the  bed.  In 
one  of  the  Baron’s  gardens  stood  a small  temple;  in 
another  a small  house  for  the  tea  ceremony;  the  family 
shrine  was  in  another  small  house;  in  still  another  a 
beautiful  old  wooden  house  brought  thither  intact  from 
Kyoto,  where  it  was  built  more  than  three  hundred  years 
ago.  It  did  not  appear  that  domestic  architecture  had 
changed  much  in  the  interval.  There  was  the  same 
entrance,  there  were  the  same  round  windows  at  the  back 
that  one  sees  everywhere,  the  same  recesses.  And  so  round 
to  the  great  house  again. 

The  garden  of  the  Prime  Minister,  Count  Okuma ’s  house, 
much  larger,  has  the  same  differentiation  of  parts,  but  there 
was  one  very  long  vista  of  blooms,  very  rich  in  colour  when 
I saw  it,  with  whole  hedges  and  mounds  and  masses  of  red, 
yellow  and  white  azaleas  and  magnificent  peonies,  great 
white,  cuplike  blooms  with  yellow  at  the  heart,  cascades  of 
blossoms  on  every  side.  There  were  hothouses  with  many 
varieties  of  orehids  under  glass,  and  then  there  was  a park- 
like portion  more  European  than  Japanese.  Indeed, 
although  Count  Okuma  speaks  no  language  but  his  native 
tongue  and  is  a profound  nationalist,  his  great  garden 
spaces  are  not  so  wholly  national. 

In  one  thing,  however,  namely  his  collection  of  dwarf 
trees,  he  is  very  Japanese.  He  has  hundreds  of  them. 
One  tiny  old  baby  pine  with  starlike  needles  on  the 
branches  was  very  beautiful.  I should  have  liked  to  carry 
it  off  with  me  and  watch  it  every  day  for  a year.  The 
Count  is  eighty,  but  sturdy  despite  his  loss  of  a leg  long 
ago  when  a miscreant  threw  a bomb  at  him,  condemning 


1.  LAWX  OF  BARON  MITSUI’S  HOME,  TOKYO 

2.  A SMALL  PRIVATE  GARDEN.  TOKYO 


THE  GARDENS  OF  JAPAN 


81 


him  since  to  a wooden  leg.  It  is  his  custom  to  rise  at  five 
in  the  morning  and  spend  an  hour  walking  in  his 
garden  every  day — and  his  days  are  full  of  state  affairs — 
a man  of  courage,  a man  of  parts  and  of  honourable 
history. 

Those  dwarf  trees  of  Japan  are  an  unfailing  wonder. 
The  art  by  which  they  are  produced  is  quite  closely 
guarded  hy  the  super-arboriculturists  who  produce  them. 
Its  main  feature,  however,  is  an  annual  cutting  of  a 
portion  of  the  roots,  leaving  just  enough  to  sustain  the 
life  of  the  tree  without  leaving  enough  to  promote  its 
growth.  For  this  purpose  they  are  grown  in  pots  giving 
ready  access  to  the  roots.  It  takes  some  twenty  years  to 
secure  success.  Needless  to  say  that  during  all  that  time 
they  demand  the  closest  attention,  something  only  possible 
when  it  is  an  immutable  part  of  the  day’s  routine, 
and  only  profitable  when  many  hundreds  of  the  little 
trees  are  kept  under  treatment  and  observation.  The 
best  results  are  with  pine,  plum,  cherry  and  maple,  the  red 
variety. 

In  the  chapter  devoted  to  the  theatre  may  be  found 
reference  to  these  Japanese  dwarf  trees  in  the  account  of 
the  No  dance  called  “Hachi-no-ki,”  or  Trees  Grown  in  Pots, 
showing  that  the  art  of  dwarfing  the  trees  of  the  forest 
and  keeping  them  for  house  ornamentation  is  quite  ancient. 
The  No  in  question  was  written  some  three  hundred  years 
ago,  and  the  story  refers  to  a shogunate  many  centuries 
more  remote.  A metrical  rendering  of  the  legend — not  at 
all  a translation — made  years  before  my  visit  to  Japan,  will 
also  be  found  in  this  volume  under  the  title  of  ‘ ‘ The  Soul 
of  Nippon.” 

Perhaps  the  most  surprising  garden  that  I saw  in  Tokyo 
was  that  of  Mr.  Hayokawa,  a very  rich  banker.  He 
decided  five  years  before  my  visit  to  have  a new  town 
residence  and  bought  the  ground  in  a busy  quarter;  but 


82 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


here  now  are  house  and  grounds  finished,  and  the  garden, 
to  all  appearances,  from  fifty  to  a hundred  years  old.  The 
air  of  an  old  perfection  may  be  seen  in  the  picture — a level 
space  crossed  by  the  usual  flat  stones  in  paths  lying  on  a 
velvety  carpet  of  green  moss  led  toward  curiously  con- 
torted old  pine  trees  in  the  foreground,  then  blooming 
azaleas  in  red  and  white  masses  here  and  there,  then  a 
succession  of  trees  of  every  tint  of  green,  with  here 
and  there  a dark-red  maple  rising  in  stately  picture 
beyond. 

Stone  lanterns  lighted  for  the  evening  stood  at  the  base 
of  the  hill  and  in  the  recesses  of  the  wooded  height.  A 
waterfall  tinkled  high  to  the  left  and  the  water  chanting 
a low  sunset  song  was  led  along  a shrub-embowered  bed. 
Among  the  trees,  following  a little  path,  we  mounted  in 
the  growing  dusk  to  a little  tea  house,  and  so  on  through 
beauty  after  beauty  until  we  reached  the  house  again. 
One  would  almost  have  preferred  to  stay  and  dream  in  the 
wonderful  garden  than  to  have  gone  in  to  dinner  that  was 
awaiting  us.  I said,  almost;  well,  for  the  sake  of  the 
poetical  let  it  stand  at  that.  The  substantial,  however,  has 
its  claims,  and  those  affluent  Japanese  do  secure  the  most 
marvellous  cooks  of  French  birth  or  French  training.  For 
viands  the  world  of  meat  and  drink  seems  within  easy  reach 
of  their  capable  hands. 

It  is  not  quite  a garden  story,  but  it  is  nearly.  We  had 
visited  the  private  art  museum  of  Mr.,  now  Baron, 
Kikachiro  Okura,  and  the  old  gentleman,  who  is  eighty, 
had  made  a point  of  accompanying  us  all  over  his  house 
of  art  marvels  and  then  led  the  way  across  a woodland 
path  through  great  trees  to  a little  bungalow  in  a fold 
of  the  slope  of  two  hills — in  all,  say,  a hundred  yards  from 
the  home  of  his  vast  array  of  priceless  art  treasures.  Just 
a plain,  little  bit  of  a Japanese  house.  There  he  sat  us 
down  and  gave  us  wonderful  green  tea  and  cake  and  such. 


THE  GARDENS  OF  JAPAN 


83 


It  was  just  the  thing  after  the  fatigue  of  the  museum. 
Mr.  Okura  was  enjoying  it  too,  and  when  we  were  smoking 
royally  he  said:  “I  had  this  little  house  built  a year  ago. 
I wanted  to  be  able  to  get  away  from  Tokyo  at  will.  Here 
I am  far  away;  look.” 

He  rose  and  slid  back  a shoji,  revealing  a large  oval 
window  on  the  front  of  the  house.  The  outlook  seemed  to 
be  a ravine  half  a mile  long,  in  which  the  trees  gradually 
shut  off  all  views  beyond.  It  was  very  simple,  but  all  true. 
He  has  ships  on  every  sea ; enterprises  in  a score  of  parts ; 
has  great  riches,  great  interests  with  a wonderful  history 
of  uprise  from  poverty.  He  has  given  largely  to  charity 
and  the  helping  of  men  and  women  to  help  themselves — 
shrewd,  sharp,  quick,  close,  generous  at  the  last  test — you 
know  the  type,  and  his  highest  pleasure  is  a bit  of  Japanese 
rusticity,  away  from  Tokyo,  but  with  Tokyo  at  hand. 
There  is  something  of  the  Japanese  garden  type  in  the 
joy  he  takes  in  it.  He  has  lately  deeded  his  great  museum 
to  the  nation,  and  endowed  its  upkeep.  I wonder  if  he 
has  held  on  to  the  little  bungalow. 

I have  visited  public,  semi-public  and  private  gardens  in 
many  parts  of  Japan,  but  those  cited  must  serve.  There 
are  wonderful  historic  gardens  at  Kyoto  and  Nikko;  in 
fact,  where  are  they  not?  Take  the  garden  of  Kinkakuji, 
or  Golden  Pavilion,  at  Kyoto.  It  stands  at  the  foot  of  a 
range  of  hills  encircled  by  great  trees  and  encloses  a little 
lake  on  whose  edge  stands  the  Golden  Pavilion.  This  fairy 
palace  wms  designed  for  Yoshimitsu,  a shogun  of  the 
Ashikaga,  520  years  ago ! Its  upper  story  was  once 
covered  with  beaten  gold;  it  was  decorated  by  great 
sculptors  in  wood,  and  great  painters  furnished  its  kake- 
monos. When  he  retired  voluntarily  from  power  it  was 
there  he  w’ent  to  live.  It  is  full  of  quiet  beauty  and  repose. 
Its  outlook  over  a lakelet  set  in  tall  trees  with  flowering 
bushes  at  their  feet  is  soothing,  and  you  approve  Yoshi- 


84 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


mitsu’s  taste,  and  if  you  are  frivolous  you  feed  the  golden 
carp  in  the  lake  and  there  are  small  enterprising  merchants 
at  hand  with  bags  of  cake  for  the  purpose.  A few  coppers 
will  secure  enough  to  gratify  your  whim  to  see  the  big  carp 
get  the  lion ’s  share,  and  the  little  fellows  win  their  mouth- 
ful by  trick  and  device — as  in  the  world  of  men. 

At  Nikko  there  is  the  Abbot’s  Garden  that  will  well 
repay  you.  In  fact,  ancient  and  modern  gardens  abound, 
and  in  all  of  them  if  you  have  time  you  can  find  rest  for 
eye  and  gentle  persuasion  for  the  mind.  But  you  must 
have  time,  and  if  you  have  fatigue  and  little  time  don’t 
go.  At  Kyoto  there  is  a gem  of  a garden  laid  out  by  some 
great  landscape  artist  three  or  four  centuries  ago.  It  has 
the  look  of  age  and  a deep  serenity.  There  is  a little  lake 
with  bends  and  turns  and  bosky  places  and  rocks  and 
venerable  trees — and  there  are  thirteen  “views.”  I had 
duly  gone  the  round  and  had  counted  thirteen.  On  the 
site  of  the  last  view  I sat  me  down  for  contemplation,  and 
this  is  what  swam  into  my  consciousness — a very  stout 
English  lady,  red  of  face  and  ragged  of  temper,  in  the 
last  stage  of  tourist  fatigue,  sitting  on  a stump,  and  a very 
lean,  small  skimpy  husband  expostulating: 

He — Oh,  come  along,  dear;  it’s  only  twenty  minutes  for 
the  whole  blooming  views.  Get  it  over  and  ’ave  done  with 
it,  I say. 

She — Not  one  minute ; not  one  view.  I’m  sick  o’  looking 
at  them  views — the  more  that  I cawn’t  see  them  when  I 
do  look.  It’s  been  the  same  wy  all  the  whole  dy — temples 
an’  habbots  an’  false  gods.  And  what  do  you  know  about 
them  when  all’s  said  and  done?  Tell  me  that;  tell  me 
that! 

He— Hsh!  Hsh! 

She — No,  I won’t  hsh.  I’m  just  wore  out.  Three 
temples  and  two  habbots  and  hills  to  climb  in  one  day  and 
a goddess  with  the  ridic  ’lous  name  of  Cannon.  I ’d  cannon 


THE  GARDENS  OF  JAPAN 


85 


’em.  I’m  that  footsore  and  heartsick  that  if  you  don’t 
wheel  me  home,  well,  I ’ll  scream. 

He — Rickisha ! Hi,  rickisha ! 

Thereafter  peace  and  the  sun  setting,  and  a sense  that 
if  a trumpet  called  it  might  call  in  vain,  for  surely  the 
god  of  the  gardens  was  with  me,  and  a spiritual  balm  was 
in  the  air. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


TEMPLES  AND  RELIGIONS  OF  JAPAN 

Shinto  and  Buddhist — Ancestor  worship — The  pilgrims — In  the 
Honden — Charms  and  amulets — The  rope  of  30,000  women’s 
hair — Temple  architecture — Kyoto  and  Nara — A secret  of  the 
shrines — Why  you  should  sit — The  glories  of  Nikko’s  terraced 
temple  shrines — lyeyasu’s  temples  and  tomb — Wonders  of 
carving — The  ablutionary — The  Chinese  gate — The  dancing 
priestess  of  Nara. 

I KNOW  nothing  jollier  than  a crowd  of  Japanese  pilgrims 
on  their  way  to  one  of  the  great  shrines  or  temples.  There 
may  be  from  fifty  to  two  hundred  of  them  of  all  adult  ages 
and  both  sexes.  They  are  generally  villagers  from  one 
village  or  a group  of  contiguous  villages. 

They  are  dressed  in  their  poor  best ; they  are  all  scrupu- 
lously clean,  and  are  having  the  time  of  their  lives.  They 
travel  third  class  on  the  railroads,  led  by  one  elderly- 
bellwether  of  the  flock,  one  who  has  made  the  pilgrimage 
before.  In  all  else  but  the  railroad  trip  they  go  afoot 
for  miles  and  miles,  taking  the  level  valley  paths  or  climb- 
ing the  plentiful  hills  indifferently,  and  do  it  all  cheerfully. 

They  put  up  over  night  at  the  poorest  inns  and  live  on 
the  plainest  food,  and  whatever  coin  they^  carry  it  includes 
a goodly  supply  of  the  very  smallest  coins — those  of  one- 
tenth  of  half  an  American  cent.  These  are  for  the  temple 
offerings,  recalling  Dr.  Johnson’s  sarcastic — and  probably 
unjust  definition  of  the  half -farthing — one-eighth  of  a 
penny — “a  coin  designed  to  enable  Scotchmen  to  subscribe 
to  charitable  institutions.” 


86 


TEMPLES  AND  PtELIGIONS  OF  JAPAN  87 


In  front  of  all  shrines  and  temples,  Shinto  or  Buddhist, 
is  a large  contribution  box  with  wooden  gratings  on  the 
top.  If  it  is  a Shinto  shrine  the  pilgrim  tosses  in  his  or 
her  coin,  takes  hold  of  the  gong  rope  and  rings,  then  of  the 
small  jingler  bell  rope  and  sounds  it,  claps  hands  to  attract 
divine  attention,  joins  palms  and  bows  head,  uttering  the 
proper  pious  invocation  or  wish,  and  it  is  all  over. 

When  I visited  the  Kinkagu  hillside  shrine  at  Kyoto  the 
local  priest  was  explaining  its  virtues  to  a crowd  of  about 
a hundred  pilgrims.  The  coins  were  dropping  and  the 
gong  was  ringing  continuously,  wdien  at  the  rear  a local 
guide,  who  might  irreverently  be  called  the  “barker”  of 
the  holy  place,  suddenly  called  out : 

“If  you  want  to  see  the  Lover’s  Leap,  where  the  two 
honourable  lovers  plunged  hand  in  hand  to  death,  come 
over  this  side.” 

In  a twinkling  the  whole  crowd  had  deserted  the  shrine, 
and  were  gazing  in  rapture  over  the  railing  of  the  wide 
platform  down  the  cliff,  thinking  and  saying  how  smashed 
up  the  honourable  lovers  must  have  been  whom  the  cruel 
parents  would  keep  apart.  Their  religion  is,  nevertheless, 
ingrained,  whatever  it  may  be,  and  it  oftenest  combines 
Shinto  with  one  of  the  sects  of  Buddhism.  It  involves  little 
ritual  on  the  part  of  the  people.  The  priests  attend  to  aU 
that,  and  the  Buddhist  priests  have  an  unending  series 
of  ofiBces  to  perform. 

Shinto — the  Way  of  the  Gods — is  the  national  cult  of 
Japan.  It  is  founded  on  ancestor  worship.  It  derives 
from  the  sun  goddess,  whose  direct  descendant  has  filled 
the  Mikado  throne  since  the  most  ancient  times  and  who 
also  is  the  mother  of  the  entire  Japanese  people  as  the 
legend  runs. 

In  Shinto  therefore  the  past  members  of  the  race  are  all 
gods  (Kami)  and  in  a particular  way  one’s  own  forebears, 
one’s  deceased  parents  and  grandparents,  for  instance,  are 


88 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


godlike  spirits  devoted  to  a constant  care  for  their  de- 
scendants and  must  be  worshipped  and  honoured  with 
offerings  every  day  for  the  good  they  are  doing  for  you, 
and  to  fend  off  the  harm  they  may  mete  out  to  you  if 
offended.  They  can  be  terrible  when  they  please,  these 
family  gods,  so  forget  not  to  pay  due  homage  daily. 
Shinto  has  a great  array  of  subsidiary  gods — the  elemen- 
tary gods — fire,. wind,  thunder,  water,  with  many  home- 
keeping kindly  deities  who  are  invoked  and  honoured  with 
a thought,  the  seven  gods  of  felicity,  the  god  of  good 
women,  the  god  of  the  oven,  the  god  of  the  fields,  the  rice 
god  and  what  not. 

Shinto  involves  no  moral  code.  It  presupposes  morality 
in  the  worshippers.  Morality  is  a civil  affair.  Its  temples 
and  shrines  are  simple  of  construction.  Without,  at  a 
little  distance,  is  the  torii,  a typical  two-pillared  gate  with 
two  crosspieces  at  the  top,  one  just  the  width  between  the 
pillars,  and  the  other  wider  and  curving  slightly  upward. 
The  torii  is  mostly  of  wood,  but  at  Nikko  and  Tokyo  I 
have  seen  them  of  bronze.  They  stand  at  various  distances 
from  100  feet  to  1,000  feet  from  the  temples.  Within  the 
temple  is  a single  bronze  mirror  in  the  inner  chamber  that 
only  the  priest  sees,  emblematic  of  truth  and  purity. 

In  the  outer  hall,  a drum,  a gong,  a rack  on  which  are 
paper  strips  telling  which  gods  are  particularly  honoured 
there.  Very  simple  of  ritual,  too. 

It  has  nearly  200,000  shrines,  great  and  small,  in  the 
Empire.  In  every  village  there  is  one,  its  little  court  a 
playground  for  the  children.  Often  in  the  country  one 
notes  a clump  of  trees  in  the  fields  with  a small  torii  at 
the  edge  and  the  eaves  of  a little  temple  showing.  Thither 
the  people  go  in  the  summer  evening  to  meet  and  amuse 
themselves  for  an  hour  before  the  early  bedtime. 

Buddhism  came  to  Japan  some  1,500  years  ago.  It  took 
over  Shintoism  in  a way;  has  manifold  ritual,  and  is  rich 


TEMPLES  AND  RELIGIONS  OF  JAPAN  89 


in  moral  precepts,  has  a gospel  of  mercy  and  life-sparing, 
and  a high  philosophy  of  life  with  temples  full  of  statues, 
emblems  and  adornment.  It  enriched  Japan  with  art  from 
India,  China  and  Korea,  gave  a warmth  to  life,  even  in  its 
own  degeneration,  and  its  taking  on  many  gods  and  god- 
desses like  Kwannon  the  merciful  goddess  and  the  terri- 
fying Deva  kings,  who  are  affrighting  to  evil  spirits  only, 
and  the  two  guardian  dogs  of  Po  with  curly  tails,  one  with 
the  mouth  symbolically  open  and  the  other  the  mouth 
shut.  I have  learned  not  to  laugh  at  any  sincere  religion, 
but  sometimes  one  discreetly  smiles — a la  Japonaise. 

Since  the  Mikado  came  to  his  own  in  1868  Buddhism  has 
been  disestablished  as  a state  religion.  It  must  live  upon 
the  offerings  of  the  faithful  or  the  proceeds  of  its  own 
property  by  sale  or  rental.  Some  of  its  temples  remain 
wealthy,  but  the  majority  of  its  over  90,000  edifices  are 
much  reduced  in  means  and  consequently  in  monks,  nuns, 
priests  and  attendants.  At  Nikko  a nice  old  priest  asked 
me  if  I would  not  like  to  hire  a little  temple  for  the 
summer — “very  cool  and  roomy  with  running  water  on 
the  premises  and  not  very  dear.”  They  have  actually 
rented  many  such  to  foreigners,  since  the  average  Japanese 
house  does  not  offer  the  same  accommodations,  particularly 
the  large  tiled  room  free  of  mats  whereon  chairs  and  tables 
may  be  placed. 

Buddhism,  besides  being  absorbent  of  too  much  material 
riches,  was  not  the  religion  for  a militant  people.  It  was 
not  intensely  and  stimulatingly  national  like  Shinto,  so  it 
had  to  suffer  privations  in  line  with  its  original  severity  of 
sacerdotal  abnegation.  It  grumbles,  but  it  has  taken  of 
late  to  proselytizing  with  some  vigour  in  places  on  the 
lines,  curiously  enough,  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

So,  between  the  two  religions,  often  intermingled,  Japan 
looks  after  its  soul.  I have  seen  two  votive  shelves,  one 
Shinto,  one  Buddhist,  in  the  same  humble  house,  both 


90 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


carefully  tended.  For  Shinto,  one  of  the  great  expounders, 
Hirata,  wrote:  “Learn  to  stand  in  awe  of  the  Unseen,  and 
that  will  prevent  you  from  doing  wrong.  Cultivate  the 
conscience  implanted  in  you;  then  you  will  never  wander 
from  the  Way.”  And  that,  at  least  in  theory  and  largely 
in  act,  is  the  base  of  thei  Japanese  man’s  attitude  to  his 
religious  beliefs;  the  women  are  more  given  to  precision 
in  tenets  and  to  copiousness  and  frequency  in  prayers  and 
invocations. 

Of  the  higher  Buddhism  not  many  of  the  mass  of 
Buddhists  of  Japan  are  aware.  As  Lafcadio  Hearn  in 
effect  puts  it:  “There  is  but  one  Reality.  The  conscious- 
ness is  not  the  real  self.  Matter  is  the  mass  of  things  that 
we  see  and  feel  created  by  force  of  acts  and  thoughts.  All 
existence  is  made  by  Karma — the  present  the  creation  of 
the  past,  and  present  and  past  together  make  the  future.” 
And  then  there  is  the  succession  of  lives  and  the  hope  of 
the  attainment  of  Nirvana,  which  is  not  a heaven  but  an 
eternal  passionless  calm. 

No,  they  have  little  of  this  in  popular  Japan.  For  them 
it  is  a richer  coloured  belief  in  the  light  of  the  Eternal 
Buddha,  which  is  a godship  to  which  they  themselves  may 
attain  by  force  of  good  deeds. 

^VTien  we  remember,  as  one  should  constantly  in  thinking 
of  the  Japanese  people,  how  they  were  for  centuries 
dragooned  into  law  and  order  and  habit  and  custom  under 
repressive  sumptuary  edicts,  all  created  for  making  safe 
and  easy  the  iron  rule  of  the  daimios,  we  may  see  how 
they  would  take  refuge  in  a religion  that  gave  them  the 
keys  of  the  next  world.  With  this  crushing  pressure  re- 
moved and  law  and  order  placed  on  self-supporting  bases 
a change  might  be  expected.  It  is  found  in  a growing 
agnosticism  prevalent  among  the  pupils  of  the  colleges  and 
higher  schools.  All  but  the  ancestor  worship  is  weakening 
in  young  Japan.  That  clings  because  of  its  appeal  to 


1.  THE  “OTEXMOX"  GATE,  SHIXTO  TEMPLE.  KYOTO 

2.  SHIXTO  MAIX  TEMPLE,  KYOTO 


TEMPLES  AND  RELIGIONS  OP  JAPAN  91 


national  hope  and  desire,  and  is  indeed  a mode  of  subtle 
self-worship. 

But  there  is  plenty  of  outward  display  of  religion.  I 
have  instanced  the  pilgrims.  To  Ise,  the  master  shrine  of 
Shintoism,  where  the  Emperor  goes  on  occasion  to  worship 
his  ancestors — the  gods — go  also  perhaps  a million  pilgrims 
in  a year.  There  is  a whole  town  that  lives  on  entertaining 
them  and  selling  them  mementos.  The  pilgrimage  may 
largely  be  a sightseeing  institution,  but  it  is  a faith  feeder 
as  well.  So  sacred  is  it  held  that  it  is  but  a few  years 
since  a young  zealot  observing  a visitor  who  was  no  less 
than  a great  Cabinet  Minister  touching  some  sacred  objects 
! with  his  cane  by  way  of  indicating  them  to  his  companions, 
brooded  over  the  desecration,  and  at  last  hunted  down  the 
unintending  desecrator  and  shot  him  dead.  While  the 
Minister  was  universally  mourned,  the  act  of  the  mad  youth 
was  far  from  universally  condemned.  There  is  much  of 
this  divided  attitude  toward  lethal  occurrences  in  Japan — 
very  dreadful  thing,  but  then  one  should  let  holy 
things  be. 

One  summer  night  at  Uyeno  Park  in  Tokyo,  where  the 
exposition  was  then  holding,  the  whole  landscape — grounds 
and  buildings — one  blaze  of  electric  lighting,  I came  upon 
the  shrine  of  the  goddess  Benton — the  Japanese  Venus — 

I on  a little  island.  Merry  crowds  were  flocking  by  chatter- 
ing, wondering  at  the  vast  illumination,  and  I stood  by  the 
i little  temple  to  w-ateh  them,  something  I love  to  do,  so  much 
i|  honest,  simple  enjoyment  I find  on  their  faces  and  so  much 
I that  is  touching  in  their  family  groups. 

I'  I heard  the  rattle  of  a coin,  the  sound  of  the  gong,  the 
jingle  of  the  bells,  and  there  before  the  shrine  with  hands 

I clasped  and  head  bowed  stood  a woman  of  middle  age.  In 
an  instant  she  was  gone,  had  fled  across  the  crowd  to  her 
own  little  group  that  seemed  hardly  to  have  missed  her. 

* What  woman’s  wish  had  she  laid  before  the  goddess? 


92 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


At  Port  Arthur  I stood  by  the  supremely  touching 
Shinto  shrine  to  22,000  of  the  Japanese  dead  who  fell 
before  the  fortress  in  the  great  siege.  Their  ashes  lie  under 
the  stones  you  tread  upon.  It  was  a morning  of  balmy  air 
and  floating  mist  that  wrapped  the  hill  around  and  made 
a circle  of  airy  wraiths  that  seemed  crowding  to  shut  it  in 
from  sight  of  the  valleys  below.  It  made,  I know  not  what 
of  a sense  of  saeriflcial  uplift,  the  hilltop  shrine,  the  rolling 
mist  and  the  morning  silence. 

The  tramp,  tramp  of  heavy  boots  fell  suddenly  on  my 
ear,  and  a whole  company  of  stalwart  young  soldiers,  led 
by  a single  officer,  were  marching  to  the  shrine.  They 
paused,  then  passed  slowly  over  the  platform,  where  thej’^ 
fell  into  a double  line  before  the  shrine  itself.  The  officer 
spoke  in  an  undertone.  All  caps  came  off ; all  heads  were 
bowed,  and  they  were  told  how  happy  were  the  dead  who 
lay  beneath  their  feet;  how  happy  they  standing  there 
should  be  if  called  on  to  follow  them. 

So  they  stood  for  perhaps  ten  seconds  profoundly  stirred. 
They  then  moved  slowly  to  the  edge  of  the  platform  and 
looked  down  the  slope  while  the  officer  explained  some 
thrilling  step  in  the  mighty  conflict  of  ten  years  before. 
Here  was  Young  Japan  making  its  vows  of  patriotism 
afresh. 

One  morning  in  May  I was  at  the  Kudan  shrine  of 
Tokyo,  sacred  to  all  the  dead  of  all  the  wars  of  the  Meiji — 
a comprehensive  shrine  indeed.  It  is  a mighty,  impressive 
fane,  with  the  greatest  of  all  torii  in  bronze  before  it.  You 
look  through  the  first  temple  across  a quadrangle  to  a 
great  structure  beyond.  Only  those  related  to  some  one 
who  has  laid  down  his  life  for  his  country  can  enter  either. 
An  old  Japanese  couple,  both  bent  with  age,  were  coming 
down  the  great  alley  of  trees  from  the  torii.  They  went 
direct  to  the  shrine.  The  woman  dropped  a coin  into  the 
huge  box.  I could  hear  it  rattle  and  fall.  Then  the  old 


TEMPLES  AND  RELIGIONS  OF  JAPAN  93 


man  uncovered  and  both  clasped  their  hands  and  bent 
their  heads  in  prayer. 

What  son  did  they  mourn?  Was  he  the  eldest,  the 
youngest,  the  pet  of  the  family?  God  knows.  I turned 
away,  for  tears  were  in  my  eyes  too. 

At  Nikko  I had  another  and  differing  experience  of 
popular  piety.  It  was  on  a second  visit  to  the  lyeyasu 
Honden.  We’ll  talk  of  that  shrine  hereafter.  Our  party 
noted  signs  of  preparation  for  a service.  Priests  were 
^oing  and  coming,  bamboo  screens  were  rolling  up.  We 
chatted  with  a priest  whom  we  met  on  our  first  visit.  It 
is  an  inner  portion  of  the  temple  to  which  a smart  admis- 
sion price  is  charged — priests  must  live. 

A party  of  sixty  pilgrims,  well-to-do  merchants  from 
Osaka  who  had  made  a handsome  lump  offering,  were 
expected  every  minute.  They  were  to  have  been  on  hand 
half  an  hour  earlier,  and  all  had  been  made  ready  for  thcjr 
reception — the  priests  vested,  the  sacred  symbols  taken 
from  their  receptacles,  and  still  the  pilgrims  had  not  come. 
We  went  on  with  our  chat  and  a group  of  young  priests 
gathered  near  us  and  indulged  in  light  chaffing  among 
themselves  about  the  merchants  who  were  thus  failing  to 
keep  their  appointment  with  heaven. 

It  was  all  very  human  and  interesting — just  what  you 
might  expect  among  the  ushers  at  a fashionable  American 
wedding  when  the  bridal  party  was  behind  time.  I suppose 
the  higher  priests,  perspiring  in  their  hot  silken  vestments 
in  the  inner  chambers,  simply  sat  and  glared  as  the  Bishop 
might  who  was  waiting  to  tie  the  nuptial  knot  in,  say, 
Chicago. 

At  length  the  merchants  came,  three-quarters  of  an  hour 
behind  the  hour  set,  and  once  in  the  Honden  and  on  their 
knees  and  sitting  comfortably  back  on  their  heels  the  service 
— a kind  of  mass — began,  a priest  warning  them  that  at 
certain  times  they  were  all  to  bow  until  their  foreheads 


94 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


touched  the  floor.  As  “foreigners”  we  were  told  that  we 
might  look  in  from  the  outer  vestibule  if  we  did  it  circum- 
spectly, but  should  not  enter.  It  appeared  to  be  the  first 
time  that  most  of  the  sixty  had  attended  such  a service, 
as  many  were  inclined  to  bob  at  the  wrong  time. 

The  use  of  charms  and  amulets  is  almost  universal  among 
the  less  instructed  people,  and  these  are  obtained  mainly 
at  the  Shinto  temple,  but  the  Buddhist  priests  are  not 
averse  to  a little  addition  to  their  funds  from  this  source. 
Little  strips  of  paper  inscribed  with  incantations  hang  from 
the  eaves  of  all  houses  through  the  country  parts  and 
flutter  in  the  wind  warning  off  evil  spirits  who  are,  it  seems, 
a simple-minded  kind  of  beings  after  all,  and  easily  de- 
ceived, much  like  their  evil  brethren  in  China.  Evidently, 
however,  there  are  many  more  millions  of  devils  in  China 
than  in  Japan  because,  I suppose,  there  are  so  many  more 
besotted  Chinamen. 

Then  there  are  other  impressionable  spirits  who  will  blow 
hot  or  cold  at  your  behest,  or  at  least  take  it  under  con- 
sideration, if  you  wear  a certain  kind  of  string  around  your 
neck  and  a little  tablet  tied  to  it.  Superstitions  naturally 
abound  under  such  conditions,  and  the  roster  of  the  queer 
things  the  peasants  will  or  wiU  not  do  unless  every  evil 
influence  is  out  of  sight  would  remind  us  at  once  of  the 
similar  things  that  our  own  people  regard  as  lucky  or 
unlucky.  It  aU  harks  back  to  an  earlier  day,  when  these 
left-handed  beliefs  went  the  round  of  the  world  in  the  wake 
of  the  worship  of  sun,  moon  and  stars.  It  is,  of  course, 
certain  that  Japan  worshipped  the  sun  and  the  moon,  but 
they  seem  only  to  have  differentiated  the  milky  way  from 
the  rest  of  the  stellar  bodies. 

Religion,  however,  in  its  true  serviceable  sense,  is  alive 
in  Japan.  Those  from  the  West  who  miss  the  regular 
gatherings  for  Sunday  services  may  think  otherwise,  but 
they  are  mistaken,  as  a little  observation  will  show. 


TEMPLES  AND  RELIGIONS  OP  JAPAN  95 


A mighty  witness  to  the  live  religiosity  of  rural  Japan 
exists  at  Kyoto.  The  Higashi  Hongwanji  temple  has  been 
rebuilt  within  twenty  years.  It  was  known  that  ropes  of 
the  very  greatest  strength  were  needed  to  lift  and  hoist 
the  great  columns  and  rooftree  timbers  into  place,  and 
some  zealot  proposed  that  it  be  of  human  hair,  which  makes 
the  strongest  rope  of  aU.  The  response  was  enthusiastic, 
and  30,000  women  of  a single  province  sacrificed  their 
beautiful  long  dark  tresses  to  the  needs  of  the  great  Bud- 
dhist shrine. 

The  rope  that  performed  its  task  without  a break  is 
shown  on  the  temple  grounds  today.  It  is  closely  woven, 
two  hundred  and  twenty-one  feet  long,  thirteen  inches  in 
circumference  and  over  four  inches  in  diameter!  One 
touched  its  lustrous  coils  with  reverence ; it  meant  so  much 
sacrifice;  so  many  wishes  from  the  deeps  of  the  human 
heart  went  with  it.  You  can  see  the  woman  kneeling  before 
the  family  Buddhist  shrine,  the  shining  length  of  her  dark 
locks  lifted  in  both  hands  and  on  her  lips  the  prayer,  “0, 
Eternal  Buddha,  in  thine  enlightenment  wilt  thou  not  see 
for  me,  and  find  for  me  the  way  of  my  heart’s  desire!” 
And  30,000  such  women,  so  praying  in  one  province; 
think  of  it ! 

But  the  temples  themselves,  which  stand  ever  open  and 
invite  the  wayfarer,  how  do  justice  to  them  in  half  a 
chapter?  You  could  not  do  it  in  a dozen  chapters,  but  one 
may  lay  down  a few  general,  brief  observations,  then  tell 
something  of  a few  that  one  has  seen,  and  they  ranged  from 
little  village  shrines  to  enormous  temples. 

Generally  the  temple  stands  within  a compound  with  a 
more  or  less  ornate  gate  structure  of  two  or  more  roofs  with 
the  Oriental  roof-curve  and  the  wide  overhanging  eaves 
that  flare  upwards  to  raised  points  at  the  corners  and  which 
extend  on  the  four  sides.  The  roof  structure  is  supported 
by  solid  pillars  generally,  sometimes  in  simpler  forms  by 


96 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


squared  posts.  In  these  are  often  found  the  powerfully- 
sculptured  figures  of  the  forbidding  Deva  kings  who  with 
hideous  grimace  and  compelling  gesture  let  the  various 
visiting  demons  know  that  here  is  no  comfortable  place 
for  them. 

Crossing  the  courtyard  one  faces  the  temple  proper  of 
one  clear  story  anywhere  from  twenty  to  sixty  feet  high, 
the  frontal  pillars  of  wood  and  squared  posts,  the  curved 
roof,  heavy  ridge  pole  with  upraised  terminals  running 
parallel  to  the  front  and  wide  overhanging  eaves  making 
the  distinctive  note.  The  main  structure  may  be  two  or 
three  hundred  feet  long  but  much  less  in  depth.  Inside 
heavy  pillars  support  the  roof,  the  Buddha  if  it  is  a temple 
of  his  faith  being  placed  on  a man-high  pedestal.  There 
is  a separate  house  for  the  bell  rung  by  a heavy  beam. 
There  are  endless  varieties,  but  these  by  far  the  most 
common. 

As  to  construction,  it  may  be  said  that  the  buildings  in 
Japan  are  all  of  wood,  with  gable  roofs  slightly  curved  and 
with  far  projecting  eaves,  the  other  marked  feature  being 
the  weight  and  size  of  the  ridge  pole,  which  is  often  a heavj' 
squared  timber  with  projecting  ends  carved  and  decorated 
and  often  with  an  upward  turn.  The  roof  in  the  larger 
temples  is  supported  by  great  columns,  the  rounded  boles 
of  great  keyaki  trees,  giving  dignity  and  sometimes  mas- 
siveness to  the  front,  which  is  the  longest  side  of  the 
building. 

It  is  always  approached  by  a flight  of  stone  steps,  which, 
lifting  the  structure,  add  to  its  impressiveness.  Within  the 
lofty  columns  give  a fine  effect.  In  the  greater  Shinto 
temples  when  the  wood  is  not  plain  it  is  painted  or  lac- 
quered a vivid  scarlet.  Set  among  the  green  of  sur- 
rounding trees  the  vivid  colour  is  modified  bearably. 

In  the  smaller  Shinto  shrines  the  roof  is  usually  of 
straw.  In  the  larger  temple  compounds  you  find  one  great 


TEMPLES  AND  RELIGIONS  OF  JAPAN  97 


structure  beyond  the  other,  the  last  the  most  sacred,  but 
containing  only  the  mirror  spoken  of  already  or  in  addition 
an  ancient  sword,  both  wrapped  in  silken  veils  only 
removed  for  the  highest  authorities,  as  at  Ise  for  the 
Emperor  himself.  In  the  Buddhist  temples  there  is  on 
the  contrary  a wealth  of  carving  and  colouring.  The 
under  sides  of  the  eaves  are  painted  daintily  in  many 
colours,  a light  green  prevailing,  but  the  carving  and 
decorating  without  and  within  have  no  limit. 

The  great  bells,  indeed  the  temple  bells  of  all  grades,  are 
things  that  have  their  part  in  the  religions  of  Japan. 
Many  are  very  large;  most  of  them  are  very  old.  There 
are  no  chimes;  they  do  not  ring  as  we  think  of  ringing. 
They  boom.  One  loud,  long  stroke  that  sings  and  thrills 
on  the  air  and  dies  do^vn  to  a murmur  as  of  bees;  then 
silence,  and  then,  and  only  then,  another  boom.  At  the 
sound  all  within  its  reach  will  pause  and  listen,  for  it 
speaks  to  them  in  a language  they  understand;  tells  them 
' of  time  and  tide  or  circumstance.  It  must  mostly  soothe, 
for  most  men  and  women  smile  a little  when  they  hear  it. 
Only  when  it  sounds  an  alarm  are  the  strokes  close  to- 
i gether;  then  the  whole  town  .arouses. 

Of  the  modern  Shinto  temples  the  Henijin  gu  at  Kyoto 
' was  built  twenty  years  ago  to  celebrate  1,100  years  of  the 
city’s  history  and  in  honour  of  the  Emperor  Kwammu, 
who  made  Kyoto  his  capital.  It  is  very  vast  and  bare. 
The  pillars  are  red.  It  has  a fine  gate  called  Otimmon, 
and  the  temple  itself  is  called  Daikyokuden.  It  is  set  on 
the  plain  and  depends  on  its  dimensions  for  its  majesty. 

But  the  great  beauty  of  the  temple  shrines  of  Japan 
derives  in  large  part  from  their  hillside  location.  No  such 
lofty  structures  as  the  Gothic  cathedrals  of  Europe  are  to 
be  expected.  The  religious  architects  of  Japan  wrought 
in  other  materials.  The  Chonin  temple  of  gratitude  in  the 
same  city  shows  something  of  this. 


98 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


The  temple  stands  on  a hill.  There  is  a splendid  gate  of 
entrance  to  the  grounds  and  long  lines  of  stone  lanterns  of 
many  designs  lichened  with  age  line  the  broad  upward 
path.  There  are  two  paths  of  ascent,  one  up  a sheer  ver- 
tiginous flight  of  steps,  another  winding  upward  at  an  easy 
gradient — the  lady’s  steps,  which  no  determined  pilgrim 
would  take,  but  I did.  Both  stairs  are  embowered  in  flne 
old  trees. 

Finally  we  reached  the  temple,  majestic  of  interior,  with 
a praying  bonze  seated  before  an  open  book  from  which  he 
was  singing  prayers  and  ever  and  anon  striking  a gong  at 
his  side — for  the  delectation  of  a couple  of  citizens,  man 
and  wife,  who  for  some  reason  of  their  own  had  doubtless 
entreated  him  so  to  do.  The  great  Buddha  was  dimly 
visible  at  the  back.  There  we  were  shown  the  “nightingale 
boards,”  a wooden  path  connecting  two  buildings  which 
when  trodden  on  made  a despairing  noise  like  a banknote 
in  agony.  And  there  were  marvelling  pilgrims  looking  for 
the  architect’s  umbrella  which  he  had  forgotten  at  the  top 
of  the  ladder  when  he  paid  his  last  visit  some  hundreds  of 
years  ago  and  whose  handle,  projecting  a few  inches  from 
the  eaves,  can  be  seen  till  this  day ! 

You  have  at  any  rate  been  learning  that  there  is  the 
temple  and  the  temple  setting,  and  that  when  they  conjoin, 
as  they  may  and  do  at  many  of  Kyoto’s  fanes,  at  lovely 
Nara  and  Nikko  the  superlative,  you  have  the  flne  flower 
of  a thrilling  triumph  of  Japanese  artistry. 

I came  by  accident  upon  one  secret  of  Japanese  temple 
forms,  namely,  that  their  dimensions  were  calculated  for  a 
people  who  in  worshipping  sit  on  the  ground.  Often  had  I 
been  inwardly  disappointed  at  what  seemed  want  of  height 
in  temple  interiors.  Looking  up  at  a remarkable  coffered 
ceiling  or  along  a line  of  involved  decoration  or  even  gazing 
upward  at  the  great  keyaki  columns,  the  sense  of  want 
of  loftiness  had  come  upon  me. 


TEMPLES  AND  RELIGIONS  OF  JAPAN  99 


When,  however,  it  became  necessary  that  I should  sit 
on  the  floor  during  a brief  ceremony  or  else  leave  the 
temple,  a wonderful  change  occurred.  It  seemed  that  I 
was  looking  at  the  temple  for  the  first  time  in  its  true 
proportions.  The  ceiling  rose  much  higher;  the  decora- 
tions stood  out  clearer.  The  great  pillars  seemed  really 
tall,  and  harmony  grew  magically  out  of  the  mingling 
of  detail.  By  all  means  sit  on  the  floor  in  Japanese 
temples. 

Let  us  to  Nikko,  and  first  let  me  sing  the  praise  of 
the  cryptomeria.  It  is  a tree,  a dark-leaved  conifer,  a kind 
of  cedar  that  grows  straight  up  to  the  clouds  as  do  the 
sugar  pines  in  the  Pacific  coast  sierras.  Give  it  three  to 
five  hundred  years  of  growth  and  it  has  pierced  the  clouds 
and  attained  a girth  of  fifteen  to  twenty-five  feet  at  the 
base.  Place  them  in  stately  rows  up  a mountain  road,  and 
lo ! at  once  you  are  in  the  home  of  the  gods.  Blessed  be  he 
who  called  it  cryptomeria,  for  “sugi,”  the  Japanese  name, 
does  not  become  it  at  all.  You  feel  like  thanking  heaven 
for  it,  as  the  pious  old  English  lady  did  for  that  “blessed 
and  comforting  word  Mesopotamia.” 

We  have  entered  the  long  central  street  of  Nikko  on  our 
rickishas.  It  is  lined  with  small  stores  all  open  to  the 
street  and  most  of  them  as  seen  from  your  slight  eminence 
display  souvenirs  in  photos,  prints,  carvings  in  wood  and  * 
ivory,  jewels  in  gold  and  precious  stones.  You  are  con- 
scious of  a curious  artistic  thrill.  Nikko  has  cast  a long 
shadow  before.  “See  Nikko  before  you  die”  you  have 
heard  on  every  hand  since  you  landed  in  Japan.  Then 
you  have  read  about  it.  What  really  signalized  it  was 
that  it  was  chosen  as  the  site  of  the  great  Shogun  lyeyasu ’s 
grave  centuries  ago.  Now  a tomb  of  that  high  stamp  in 
Japan  must  have  a votive  temple,  and  the  temple  must  have 
its  majesty  reside  in  many  structures,  and  on  a steep  hill- 
side they  must  stand  terraced  one  above  another,  and  all 


100 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


around  must  stand  gigantic  forest  trees  in  time.  Different 
indeed  in  the  latter  respect  must  the  lyeyasu  temple  have 
looked  when  the  gates  and  stairs  and  fanes  were  raised,  for 
the  newly  planted  trees  were  small  that  since  have  reached 
the  skies.  It  was  the  great  lyeyasu ’s  son,  lyemitsu,  who 
raised  the  first  temple.  It  was  again  the  latter’s  son  who 
erected  the  second  or  lyemitsu  temple,  that  almost  dupli- 
cates the  first.  Upon  them  was  lavished  all  the  artistry  of 
a highly  efflorescent  epoch  in  Japanese  art.  Boldness, 
violence  almost  of  colour  and  form  make  their  astonishing 
effect.  As  we  roll  to  our  hotel  we  note  the  hills  rising  sheer 
above  the  river  whose  voice  we  hear  from  below  its  banks 
as  we  turn  from  the  central  street  to  the  steep  road  that 
leads  up  to  the  hostelry.  There  we  rest  as  night  closes 
down,  hearing  the  chatter  of  those  who  have  spent  the  day 
in  the  temple  heights.  “How  wonderful  it  all  was,”  and 
then  the  pessimist,  “Well,  for  my  part,  etc.”  Still  further 
piqued  our  party  sleeps. 

Morning  comes  brightly  and  we  are  off  afoot  down  the 
steep  road  to  the  river.  We  turn  for  a moment  and  face 
the  long  wood-clad  heights  that  parallel  the  stream,  then 
cross  the  Poor  Man’s  Bridge  over  the  torrential  Daiya- 
gawa,  chanting  its  crystal  paean  over  the  blue  rocks  some 
thirty  feet  below,  and  with  the  Sacred  Bridge  in  its  curve 
• of  crimson  lacquer,  which  only  Emperors  and  such  can 
tread,  a few  rods  away,  but  striking  a loud  colour  note 
upon  the  green  that  crowds  everywhere  under  the  soft 
grey  sky. 

We  enter  on  the  sacred  way  up  a flight  of  stone  steps, 
turn  to  the  left  on  a gently  ascending  path  between  the 
cryptomerias.  Our  thoughts  are  lifting  with  them.  In  a 
little  while,  say  the  distance  of  a quarter  of  a mile,  you 
turn  again,  taking  your  last  glance  down  to  the  river  bed 
we  have  been  skirting  as  we  rose.  The  view  is  fine,  and 
the  sense  of  depth  to  the  stream  and  distance  over  the 


TEMPLES  AND  RELIGIONS  OF  JAPAN  101 


green  valley  to  the  dim  mountains  beyond  enhances  the 
thought  of  height. 

We  are  mounting  higher  still  and  the  cryptomerias  rise 
higher  and  bulk  larger  as  we  go.  We  pass  an  imperial 
palace  on  a small  plateau  to  the  left.  At  last  we  face  a 
long  straight  rise,  a magnificent  broad  avenue  up  the 
mountain,  the  kings  of  the  cryptomerias  on  either  side,  and 
the  people  coming  and  going,  now  a band  of  pilgrims,  now 
a group  of  laughing  temple  working  women  with  baskets 
yoked  to  their  backs,  now  a group  of  priests,  looking 
priestly  here  beneath  the  giant  trees.  Afar  we  see  a grey 
torii  rise  to  close  the  view  and  be  the  stately  portal  to  the 
lyeyasu  shrine,  for  all  this  pomp  of  path  and  lofty  trees 
and  temples  beyond  is  set  before  the  grave  on  the 
mountain  top  of  that  first  and  greatest  of  the  Tokugawa 
shoguns — a mighty,  a human,  and  at  times  a merciless  man. 

At  last  we  pass  beneath  the  torii  and  find  ourselves  on 
a plateau,  to  the  left  a high  pagoda  with  its  five  stories 
in  red  and  gold  edging  and  black  roofs,  the  undersides  in 
a pale  verdigris  green.  Opposite  is  a grove  of  towering 
cryptomerias.  Facing  upward,  a line  of  granite  balus- 
traded  battlements  pierced  at  the  centre  by  a broad  flight 
of  stone  steps  and  crowned  by  mighty  trees. 

We  pass  up  the  steps  and  lo,  the  wonder  of  the  Niomon 
gate — the  gate  of  the  two  kings,  dazzling  in  red  and  gold 
on  a riot  of  carving,  with  four  dark  crimson  pillars  to 
hold  the  glance.  Here  are  two  Deva  kings,  affrighting 
things  to  ward  off  evil.  It  would  be  folly  to  try  to  describe 
this  whole  composition  of  daring  colours.  We  go  on,  and 
the  eye  is  carried  up  by  tremendous  trees  rising  from  the 
embankment  above  the  Niomon  and  giving  a heaven  point- 
ing sublimity  no  lofty  dome  or  spire  or  column  built  by 
human  hands  could  convey. 

The  Gothic  interiors  of  the  finest  cathedrals  have  this 
note,  but  here  it  vibrates  in  the  ether  itself.  The  lowering 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


102 

clouds  of  the  dark  day  seem  only  to  bring  heaven  nearer. 
Around  are  a host  of  grey  and  lichen-arabesqued  stone 
lanterns  like  witnesses  of  light  rather  than  light  itself.  To 
the  left  above  the  Niomon  rise  the  dark  grey  roofs  of  the 
temple  with  a blazonry  of  gold  on  roof  edges  and  roof  tree. 
Here  is  the  treasury  of  the  shrine  and  other  offices  with 
noted  carvings,  all  rich  in  colour.  Such  wood-carving! 
Here  we  may  see  the  celebrated  three  monkeys  guarding 
against  abuse  of  speech,  sight  and  hearing,  and  of  which 
you  can  buy  postal  cards  everywhere.  Such  birds  too — 
peacocks,  partridges,  pheasants — a riot  of  form  and  colour. 
Elsewhere  they  show  you  the  “sleeping  cat”  highly  cele- 
brated, but  not  so  clever  as  the  monkeys. 

We  cannot  stay  to  look  at  them  now  for  our  eyes  have 
rested  on  a small  structure,  the  ahlutionary  which  remains 
in  memory  as  the  gem  of  all.  The  baldachin  above  the 
great  granite  basin  where  pilgrims  wash  lips  and  hands  is 
supported  by  twelve  white  monolithic  columns  encased  in 
sockets  of  hammered  metal  with  beautifully  refined  pat- 
terns. White  and  black  in  every  shade  mingle  in  the 
superstructure  with  tinted  carvings  of  dragons  under  a 
roof  perhaps  the  most  graceful  in  the  world,  for  it  shows 
that  curve  of  portico  front  and  complementary  under  dec- 
oration which  I hold  to  be  the  most  striking  contribution  to 
the  beautiful  in  architecture  in  Japan;  the  curve  of  gable 
and  the  heavy  decorated  rooftree  being  the  other. 

It  is  wrong  to  linger  here  on  this  our  first  visit,  for  may 
we  not  return  to  it?  So  we  pass  the  library  of  the  Sacred 
Books  and  ascend  to  the  second  plateau  up  twenty-two 
steps.  Here  are  the  House  of  the  Bell  and  the  House  of 
the  Drum  before  eryptomerias  measuring  twenty-five  feet 
at  the  base.  Here  is  the  Yahushi-do,  a marvel  of  arabesque 
carvings  and  mighty  gilded  columns  with  the  richest  colour- 
ings and  treasure  shrines,  and  the  curiosity  of  the  crjdng 
dragon — a pictured  one  on  the  ceiling  which  emits  a strange 


OF  THE 


TEMPLES  AND  RELIGIONS  OF  JAPAN  103 


crackling  sound  when  you  clap  your  hands  as  you  stand 
under  the  head. 

We  mount  to  the  third  terrace  and  find  ourselves  before 
the  exquisite  Yomei-mon.  Who  can  describe  the  fineness, 
the  complication,  the  colouring  of  the  carving  in  this  gate  ? 
It  is  called  the  “Morning  till  Night  gate,”  and  you  might 
study  it  all  day  and  still  find  beauties  in  it.  Here  is  the 
Kazuraden,  a lovely  structure  where  a priestess  dances  at 
times,  also  the  incense  hall  with  a fine  porch  and  fagade 
and  the  Palanquin  house  where  festival  accessories  are 
stored. 

But  still  the  cryptomerias  rise  and  we  pass  to  the  fourth 
terrace  and  come  upon  the  Karamon  or  Chinese  gate,  the 
daintiest  and  most  finely  carved  of  all  the  surprising 
portals.  Its  beauties  haunt  one  long  after.  And  now  on 
the  plateau  we  have  reached  the  highest  point  of  the 
temple,  for  here  is  the  golden  Hondon  or  oratory  whose 
interior  is  ablaze  with  refined  colour  among  the  gilding 
and  glory  of  the  patterns  and  designs. 

The  priests  receive  us.  We  take  off  our  shoes.  From 
the  outer  golden  hall  we  are  led  to  an  inner  shrine  of  gold, 
the  Holy  of  Holies,  it  is  called.  A priest  flings  a vestment 
of  green  brocade  upon  my  shoulders  and  others  on  the 
shoulders  of  those  with  me.  The  voices  of  chanting  chor- 
isters are  heard  intoning  prayers.  Priests  in  gorgeous 
vestments  of  white  and  pale  Asagi  blue  cross  a raised  plat- 
form at  the  back,  and  one  comes  past  us  handing  to  each  a 
small  earthen  cup  of  sacred  wine. 

It  was  all  like  a dream  of  heaven-ascending  colour  and 
glow,  and  left  one  at  a loss  to  separate  and  sift  the  charm 
and  delight  and  something  of  the  awe  of  it.  If  one  had 
only  an  atom  of  belief  in  it  one  might  well  be  swayed  to 
any  end  by  its  appeal.  As  it  was  with  me,  the  impression 
remained  of  a great  art  new  to  me,  wonderful  in  its  results 
and  its  defiances  and  the  traces  of  a faith  wholly  national 


104 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


allied  to  a ritual  of  its  own.  Take  my  word  for  it,  Nikko 
is  superb  and  its  mountain  mausoleum  temples  have  a deep, 
deep  art  rhythm  and  something  of  a soul. 

I went  up  afterward  to  the  shogun’s  grave  two  hundred 
steps  still  higher.  It  was  plain  for  all  the  piled  up  splen- 
dours down  below ; some  bird  figures  in  bronze,  but  no 
attempt  at  a mausoleum.  It  was  simply  a place. 

At  night,  fatigued  bodily  and  somewhat  wrought  ner- 
vously by  the  multi-coloured  experiences  of  the  day  I had 
little  taste  for  the  after  supper  efforts  of  the  hotel  people 
to  provide  their  guests  with  entertainment  of  a kind,  so 
I retired  early.  To  the  brawling  of  the  river  below,  heard 
weirdly  through  the  quiet  of  the  night,  I went  asleep,  but 
my,  what  processions  of  priests  and  shoguns  and  dancing 
priestesses,  and  warriors  in  armour  and  two-sworded  men- 
at-arms  and  spearmen  and  blue-robed  men  of  state,  and 
queenly  little  women  swept  through  my  dreams,  to  the 
booming  of  great  bells  and  the  beating  of  drums.  One 
dream  was  of  being  led  by  priestesses  to  the  wonderful 
ablutionary  and  invited  to  disrobe  and  take  a plunge.  I 
remember  I had  some  reluctance. 

I have  trod  the  temple  spaces  of  Kyoto  and  have  drunk 
in  the  sylvan  beauties  of  the  temples  at  Nara.  I have  sat 
in  thought  before  the  giant  bronze  Buddha  that  sits  forty- 
nine  feet  high  in  the  open  air  at  Kamakura,  but  only  at 
Nikko  did  what  I felt  to  be  the  true  rhythm  of  the  Nippon 
temples  come  to  me.  And  at  Nara  on  a day  of  cloud  and 
rain  it  was  the  rhythm  of  a dance.  For  some  small  sum 
at  the  high  temples  there  one  may  see  it.  The  more  you 
pay  the  more  they  dance.  Priests — and  priestesses — must 
live. 

At  any  rate  two  thin  and  mouldering  priests  took  their 
seats  at  the  side  of  the  little  lean-to  and  one  played  on  a 
wheezy,  cracked  flute  and  the  other  twanged  a samisen,  but 
they  kept  their  dolorous  melody  in  perfect  time.  Three 


TEMPLES  AND  RELIGIONS  OP  JAPAN  105 


women  of  the  temple  in  richly  flowing  court  dresses  of 
Shinto,  white  with  the  twelve  folds  of  scarlet  showing  at 
the  bottom,  came  with  slow  step  from  behind  the  screen 
and  out  on  the  little  platform  of  bare  and  worn  planks. 
The  first  was  tall  and  handsome  and  erect,  the  two  others 
short  and  otherwise  insignificant.  After  I glanced  them 
over  I saw  only  the  first — the  priestess  with  the  marble  face 
and  the  large,  ardent,  unfathomable  eyes — the  eyes  of  the 
Far  East  fixed  on  some  horizon  where  her  great  gods  sat 
in  the  twilight  calm. 

The  dance  was  hieratic — short,  measured  steps  forward, 
then  backward  and  turning  on  the  heel  with  slow,  beauti- 
ful movement  of  the  arms.  First  she  moved  without  any 
adjunct,  then  with  a fan  she  drew  from  her  bosom,  waving 
it  in  gestures  of  majesty.  Lastly,  coming  forward,  she 
knelt  before  a little  stand  and  took  up  a short  staff  hung 
with  small  silver  bells  and  from  which  hung  long  streamers 
of  crimson  and  white.  This  she  held  up  and  rang  the  bells 
in  many  graceful  postures.  Kneeling  down  she  replaced 
the  staff,  a low  obeisance  and  it  was  over. 

Was  it  the  rhythm  of  the  sad  music  of  the  priests  or  her 
perfect,  undulating  grace  or  the  clear  eyes  fixed  afar  off 
while  her  whole  body  swayed,  I know  not,  but  the  dawns 
of  old  Asia  were  there  and  a great  rhythm  was  thrilling 
under  the  dripping  trees. 


CHAPTER  IX 


“THE  SENDING  AWAY”  OF  AN  EJkIPRESS 

Tokyo’s  two  millions  and  the  funeral  pageant  of  the  Empress 
Dowager — Elaborate  ceremonial  and  popular  grief — “The 
foreign  visitors” — The  silent  multitude — Old  and  new  Japan 
in  the  great  procession — L’envoi  of  the  Emperor. 

During  my  first  stay  in  Tokyo,  the  great  city,  the  whole 
Empire  in  fact,  was  under  the  cloud  of  a very  recent  death 
of  consequence  in  the  imperial  family — that  of  the  Empress 
Dowager,  the  widow  of  the  late  Meiji  Emperor,  a lady 
much  beloved  by  the  imperial  family  and  the  people  at 
large,  by  none  more  than  by  the  young  Emperor,  Yoshihito. 
His  grief  indeed  was  said  to  be  pathetic  to  witness,  for  the 
Empress  Dowager  had  been  mother  and  counsellor  and 
guide  to  him  as  to  his  father.  Yet  he  was  not  her  son,  his 
real  mother  being  a lady  of  the  palace  still  living  near 
Tokyo,  but  separated  from  him  since  infancy  by  immutable 
law  and  immemorial  custom  in  the  ease  of  an  heir  to  the 
throne.  One  of  the  glories  of  Nippon  is  that  direct  thir- 
teen-century-long descent  of  the  Mikadoate  in  the  heir  male 
which  has  signalized  it  and  the  physiological  observer  may, 
without  offence  to  the  sensitive,  state  that  it  would  be 
against  all  human  probabilities  to  expect  the  titular 
Empresses  of  fifty  generations  always  to  provide  a son  for 
the  throne.  At  any  rate  the  rule  is  old  and  absolute  that 
a son  of  the  Mikado  is  a Prince  of  the  Blood  Imperial,  and 
if  he  is  otherwise  bodily  and  mentally  qualified  may  by  the 
decision  of  the  Emperor  be  named  Crown  Prince  and  so  in 

106  ‘ 


“THE  SENDING  AWAY"  OF  AN  EMPRESS  107 


the  sad  inevitable  takings  of  time,  succeed  him.  And  thus 
it  has  been. 

All  court  and  public  functions  were  suspended:  mourn- 
ing was  prescribed,  and  the  Shinto  imperial  ritual  ex- 
hausted in  ceremonial  grief,  renaming  for  the  heavenly- 
world,  and  personal  propitiation.  The  court  with  the 
Emperor  goes  into  seclusion  for  a whole  year,  the  imperial 
palaces  are  closed  tight  to  the  outside  world.  Hence  cere- 
monies are  in  nowise  hurried.  There  is  much  to  be  done 
with  imperial  clay.  Parliament  voted  a large  sum  for  the 
obsequies.  A special  shrine  had  to  be  built  in  Tokyo  for 
the  culminating  funeral  services  in  the  metropolis.  The 
arrangements  for  the  funeral  train  had  to  be  made  with 
special  funeral  furnishings,  and  the  ceremonies  laid  down 
in  the  burial  ground  near  Kyoto  where  lie  the  remains 
of  the  Meiji  Emperor.  And  much  besides  at  the  palace  and 
elsewhere.  The  .streets  where  the  cortege  would  pass  had 
to  be  specially  sanded,  and  the  long  line  of  decorations 
prepared  and  put  in  place  for  the  imperial  “sending 
away.  ’ ’ 

As  a consequence  of  the  social  gloom  of  the  capital, 
although  discreet  dinners  and  such  normal  functions  went 
on,  I went  otherwhere  for  a couple  of  weeks  on  quests  that 
had  no  public  interest,  with  a promise  that  I should  be 
notified  in  time  to  return  for  the  public  funeral  and  as 
comfortable  arrangements  as  possible  made  for  my  wit- 
nessing it.  In  Japan  on  such  occasions  the  rule  of  pre- 
cedence becomes  absolute.  For  such  affairs  of  state  one 
must  be  titularly  somebody  official  to  gain  entrance  here, 
to  be  allowed  to  stay  there,  to  get  a carriage,  a chair  or  an 
auto  elsewhere.  Otherwise  it  is  take  your  chance  with 
the  crowd.  Fortunately  the  sons  of  the  press  have  some 
royal  claims  to  recognition,  and  something  was  managed. 
I got  in  among  “the  visiting  foreigners.”  And  I reached 
the  town  on  time. 


108 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


Many  were  the  warnings  given  me  by  those  who  had 
passed  through  the  “sending  away”  of  the  Meiji  Emperor 
two  years  before.  “Be  sure  to  bring  a portable  stool.” 
‘ ‘ Have  sandwiches  and  something  to  drink  concealed  upon 
your  person.  You  may  be  seven  hours  in  line  without  a 
chance  to  escape.  ” “ Carry  an  umbrella : yes,  it  is  possible 
a man  may  smoke  in  a prudent  way  if  you  choose  your 
time  right,”  and  so  on  with  admonitions  without  end.  It 
appears,  however,  as  in  all  things  in  Japan,  the  authorities 
were  not  above  learning  by  experience,  and  many  old 
generals  and  admirals  who  had  suffered  agonies  by  remain- 
ing in  one  position  for  untold  hours  were  this  time  relieved 
of  the  strain. 

And  here  was  an  opportunity  to  witness  an  emotional 
side  of  a people  unique  in  so  many  ways.  It  proved  a 
wonderful  spectacle  of  the  old  revered  Japan  parading  in 
the  name  of  a great  sorrow  through  the  very  modern  Japan 
that  has  been  seizing  so  fervently  the  new  and  progressive 
modes  of  thought  and  action. 

All  that  day  of  May  the  two  million  souls  of  Tokyo 
thought  with  delicate  concern  upon  the  mourning  pageant 
that  the  night  would  bring — whether  it  would  rain  or  no, 
whether  it  would  pass  without  mortal  mishap,  whether  their 
August  Lord,  the  Emperor,  whose  body  was  not  too  strong, 
would  pass  safely  through  the  sad  ordeal  of  bidding  formal 
farewell  to  the  lamented  Empress  Dowager  Shoken.  For 
this  was  the  day  of  “sending  away”  and  the  Emperor  and 
Empress  had  loved  her  much,  and  great  had  been  the 
preparations. 

Now  the  night  was  here.  There  had  been  sunshine,  and 
there  had  been  cloud.  The  sun  had  gone  down  in  a 
smoulder  of  dark  crimson  fire  along  the  western  horizon 
and  up  from  the  south  had  come  streamers  of  black  cloud, 
like  feathery  ergpe.  Then  drop  by  drop  had  come  sprinkles 
of  rain  through  the  soft,  sweet  evening  air. 


“THE  SENDING  AWAY”  OF  AN  EMPRESS  109 


For  three  long  miles  from  the  Aoyama  palace  on  a 
western  hillside  of  the  city  through  wide  streets  to  the  place 
of  the  shrine  in  the  imperial  estate  of  Yoyogi,  the  mourning 
decorations  extended.  Lines  of  tall  funeral  masts  stretched 
on  either  side  of  the  street  bearing  alternately  long  buff 
and  grey  banners  and  the  white  flags  with  their  crimson 
sun  that  is  the  emblem  of  Japan,  each  mast  fronted  with 
the  Shinto  mirror — emblem  of  purity — and  wound  spirally 
with  bands  of  white  and  black.  And  mast  was  joined  to 
mast  the  whole  way  through  with  similar  loops  of  black 
and  white. 

Near  the  palace  where  lay  in  state  the  remains  of  the 
Empress  Dowager,  and  at  points  along  the  street  route, 
iron  cressets  built  upon  columns  of  bark-covered  pine  stems 
bound  together  were  blazing  after  nightfall  with  a red- 
yellow,  waving  smoky  flame,  but  the  high-masted  arc  lights 
furnished  most  of  the  light  along  the  way.  When  you 
reached  at  last  the  long  wide  avenue  of  entrance  to  Yoyogi, 
you  were  back  in  old  Japan  where  arc  lights  did  not  shine. 
At  the  further  end,  with  two  tall  torii  before  it,  was  the 
imposing  shrine  in  form  of  a Shinto  temple — plain,  simple, 
faultless  in  line  and  finish,  and  built  of  pale  gold  hinoki 
wood.  On)  either  side  of  it  were  great  pavilions  for  the 
Emperor  and  Empress  and  court  nobles  and  foreign 
embassies,  and  from  the  entrance  gate  to  the  pavilions  on 
either  side  were  the  gathering  places  for  the  students  of 
the  universities  and  colleges  of  the  great  city  to  watch  the 
passing  scene.  This  place  of  the  shrine  was  lit  by  blazing 
cressets  and  the  pale  dim  light  of  huge  paper  lanterns, 
just  enough  to  light  vaguely  the  sea  of  thousands  of  faces 
that  with  flashing  eyes  and  silent  lips  stood  there  like 
statues  or  shadows  in  the  gentle  rain. 

Here  indeed  was  the  fine  flower  of  intellect  of  young 
Japan — young  men — young  women — who  in  twenty  years 
will  practically  be  its  rulers,  but  outside,  back  the  long 


110 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


way  to  the  Aoyama  palace  a full  half-million — men,  women 
and  children — watched  and  waited  too. 

From  the  forenoon  all  along  the  line  the  people  had  been 
taking  their  places  behind  sidewalk  ropes  that  left  ample 
room  in  the  middle  for  the  procession.  Boys  and  youths 
simply  squatted  on  the  ground.  Others  spread  cloths  or 
small  mats  and  sat  and  waited  with  the  simple  abiding 
cheerfulness  that  characterizes  the  whole  people.  Shop 
fronts  and  small  garden  spaces  were  occupied  in  the  same 
way  with  patient  spectators,  the  only  restriction  being  that 
no  one  should  gaze  upon  the  pageant  from  any  window  or 
any  point  above  the  street  level.  They  must  not  look  down 
on  an  imperial  progress  of  the  living  or  the  dead.  So  they 
chatted,  ate  lunches  of  rice  or  cakes,  stared  at  passers-by, 
and  then  fell  silent  or  talked  in  whispers.  As  the  day 
passed  to  nightfall,  the  lines  became  denser  and  at  all 
points  the  crowds  greater,  with  visibly  increasing  solemnity 
of  bearing.  Up  and  down  the  long  line  the  dark-clad 
policemen  gave  their  orders  with  quiet  force.  They  closed 
the  middle  of  the  road  to  traffic  at  2 p.m.,  though  the  pro- 
cession was  not  to  start  till  8 p.m.  They  take  their  time 
in  such  functions  in  Japan. 

At  six  0 ’clock  an  army  of  labourers  spread  a bed  of  dark 
grey  sand  along  the  processional  line,  and  smoothed  it  with 
long  brooms.  For  the  imperial  dead  a “new  road”  must 
be  made,  and  that  was  how  it  was  done. 

We,  of  the  outside  world,  had  been  assigned  a roped-in 
roadside  space  about  half  a mile  from  the  palace.  We  had 
assembled  by  five  o’clock — some  six  hundred  of  us,  men 
and  women  from  a score  of  countries,  bringing  camp-stools 
and  lunch  baskets,  and  waited,  listening  to  tongues  from 
all  ends  of  the  earth  and  curiously  noting  all  that  was 
happening  around  us.  About  seven  came  the  gentle 
sprinkling  of  the  rain. 

As  the  arc  lights  began  to  glow  came  the  heavy  tread  of 


“THE  SENDING  AWAY”  OP  AN  EMPRESS  111 


the  tough-fibred  khaki-clad  soldiers  with  red-banded  caps 
and  fixed  bayonets.  They  formed  in  guard  line,  facing 
inward  the  whole  way  from  the  palace  to  the  shrine,  stacked 
rifles  and  stood  at  rest. 

“They  are  showing  us  what  they  never  showed  to  the 
Russians,”  said  a German. 

“But  what  is  that?”  said  a Frenchman. 

“Their  backs,”  replied  the  Teuton. 

“My  faith,”  said  the  Frenchman,  “I  wish  they  would 
show  them  to  somebody  else.” 

“Well,”  remarked  a commission  man  from  Yokohama, 
“it  is  pretty  hard  to  see  through  the  Japanese.” 

And  so  it  went. 

At  half-past  seven  2,000  sailors  from  the  battleships,  four 
in  front,  marched  with  reversed  rifles  down  the  middle  of 
the  road  toward  the  palace.  When  the  head  of  column 
reached  there,  they  halted  and  turned  right  about  face. 
They  were  to  be  the  advance  guard  of  the  procession,  and 
when  they  moved  again,  the  “sending  away”  would  truly 
begin. 

It  was  approaching  the  solemn  moment,  and  one  became 
conscious  of  a subtle  thrill  in  the  air.  For  one  thing,  the 
silence.  Within  pistol  shot  of  us  were  20,000  people,  and 
all  so  hushed  that  a whisper  seemed  an  intrusion  on  a state 
of  intense  thought.  It  was  not  a pageant  to  be  wondered 
at  for  the  waiting  Japanese.  It  was  their  whole  history 
glowing  vital  before  the  eyes  of  the  soul.  It  was  not 
merely  the  passing  of  a Great  Lady  and  Empress  Dowager 
of  the  reigning  house,  but  it  was  an  illustration  from  soul 
heights  of  tha  divine  origin  of  Japan  and  the  Japanese. 
To  their  eyes  the  spirit  of  the  August  Lady  was  in  a way 
at  one  with  the  spirits  of  all  their  dead  for  seventy-five 
generations  back  to  the  coming  of  Jimmu  Tenno  “the 
Emperor  of  Godlike  Valour”  twenty-five  hundred  years 
ago.  For  he,  be  it  remembered,  was  grandson  of  the  great 


112 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


sun-goddess  from  whom  all  their  emperors,  and  so  all  their 
nation  has  sprung,  and  ever  sinee  then  have  lived  in  her 
light  in  this  land  of  Yamato — the  Gate  of  the  Mountains — 
which  today  they  call  Nippon — the  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun. 
So  the  Empress  Hakuro,  to  be  known  for  eternity  as  the 
Empress  Dowager  Shoken,  if  of  an  immeasurably  higher 
caste,  was  at  one  with  the  spirits  of  their  ancestors,  down  to 
the  ghostly  forbears  of  the  poorest  labourer  in  the  markets 
of  Tokyo.  Here,  then,  is  a rare  spiritual  bond — the 
families  of  the  people  with  the  imperial  family,  whose 
direct  line  has  never  failed,  certainly  for  the  twelve 
hundred  years  of  recorded  history. 

Up  to  their  great  historic  Shinto  temples  standing  on 
hillsides  clad  Avith  giant  cryptomerias,  mighty  of  girth  and 
piercing  the  skies,  lead  many  steps  of  stone,  and  to  the 
multitudes  hereabout  it  is  as  though,  amid  the  soft  silence 
of  this  night  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  they  were  gazing 
on  a slight  figure  clad  in  shimmery  Shinto  white,  floating 
over  rather  than  treading  on  such  steps  of  stone  leading 
past  tree-embowered  shrine  after  shrine,  up  height  after 
height  until  at  last  it  mingled,  at  the  loftiest  summit 
imaginable,  with  the  very  glow  of  the  Rising  Sun.  They 
could  close  their  eyes  and  see  her  rise  from  the  night  to 
the  day,  and  they  and  their  kami,  their  ancestors,  were 
at  one  with  her.  She  was  of  their  very  own. 

The  goodness,  the  gentleness,  the  public  spirit,  the  poetic 
inspiration,  the  worldly  wisdom,  the  helpfulness  to  men  and 
women,  the  family  love,  the  character  which  made  her  a 
prop  for  forty-six  years  of  her  married  life  to  the  Emperor 
Meiji,  whose  trials  and  triumphs  she  shared,  are  all  cele- 
brated among  the  people  around  us,  as  they  might  be  by 
any  Western  people,  but  it  is  the  spirit  bond  which  is  most 
potent  in  this  hour  when  the  coffin  of  the  August  One  is 
to  pass. 

One  must  try  to  grasp  this  spiritual  attitude  to  under- 


“THE  SENDING  AWAY”  OF  AN  EMPRESS  113 


stand.  The  Japanese  of  Tokyo,  great  and  small,  gentle  and 
simple,  are  as  plainly  worldly  as  Christian  or  Jew  in 
mundane  matters.  They  can  work  steadily,  skillfully, 
patiently;  they  can  bargain  cleverly  and  chat  and  smile 
and  laugh  aloud  like  other  people.  They  can  weep  too, 
though  they  take  shame  for  weeping  before  others,  and 
there  is  no  “Asiatic  mystery”  about  them,  as  romanticists 
and  paradox  mongers  so  glibly  assert.  What  they  have,  as 
distinct  from  other  people,  is  the  spiritual  sense  of  oneness 
the  Empire  through  which  makes  them  all  as  of  a family 
united  by  its  dead  as  well  as  its  living.  And  it  has  had  a 
mighty  force  in  the  last  half-century.  What  the  indi- 
vidualizing tendency  of  their  present  effort  to  make 
Western  civilization  their  model  will  do  to  this  spiritual 
oneness  only  time  can  tell.  Just  at  this  moment  as  they 
strain  against  the  roadside  barriers  they  are  under  the  spell 
of  the  past;  they  are  considering  deep  questions  of  the 
soul,  and  the  silence  around  deepens  as  the  delicate  rain  is 
falling  from  the  darkening,  dim  grey  sky. 

A cannon  shot  rends  the  air! 

A little  way  up  the  line  the  marine  band  plays  the 
Imperial  Funeral  March.  It  is  plaintive,  stately.  All 
have  risen  and  uncovered.  Slowly,  almost  imperceptibly, 
with  silent  footfalls  the  line  of  man-o’-warsmen,  four  deep 
begins  moving  toward  Yoyogi — a march  of  soundless 
shadows.  Not  a sound  except  the  wailing  cadence  of  the 
march  as  the  band  moves  farther  and  farther  away.  Still 
farther  and  fainter  the  harmony  comes  down  the  long  line. 
Another  cannon  shot — a minute  gun,  and  so  for  fifteen 
minutes  the  soundless  march  of  the  sailors,  the  fainter  and 
fainter  music  of  the  band,  the  mellow  boom  of  a temple  bell, 
the  minute  gun  again.  The  band  is  a mile  away,  still  one 
can  hear  it.  Only  the  breathless  silence  of  the  multitude 
makes  that  possible.  It  is  hush  and  rapture  in  one — the 
deepest  soul  tribute  I have  ever  known  or  witnessed. 


114 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


At  last  the  line  of  sailors — the  guard  of  honour — has 
passed,  and  the  funeral  procession  proper  has  begun.  With 
the  rifles  and  Jack  tar  uniforms  the  gold-lettered  cap  bands, 
the  reversed  rifles,  it  is  modern  Japan  that  has  gone  by. 
Here  is  old  Japan — ancient  imperial  pomp  expressed  in 
really  simple  details  passing  slowly  by.  Officials  with 
sounding  mortuary  titles,  dressed  traditionally  for  the  most 
part  in  black  Shinto  coifs  and  long  mantles  of  white, 
lighted  by  torchbearers  in  belted  tunics  of  grey  are  there. 
•Grand  Funeral  Commissionei’s  and  the  like  slowly  come 
into  the  shifting  light.  Men  pass  bearing  eight  great 
round  decorated  drums.  Men  bearing  eight  large  ancient 
gongs,  more  torchbearers  and  then — surprising  sight — 
eighteen  tall  thin  banners  twenty  feet  high  and  thirty 
inches  wide,  nine  of  silver  white  and  nine  of  golden  yellow 
— tower  above  the  procession.  Torchbearers  again,  and 
then  sixteen  men  with  quivers  and  sixteen  men  with  tall 
ancient  bows,  sixteen  bearing  long  shields  and  sixteen 
halberd  bearers.  There  are  two  more  tall  white  satin 
banners  bearing  the  red  figure  of  the  Sun,  and  more  stately 
officials  and  torchbearers,  and  two  large  evergreen  Shinto 
funeral  trees,  and  then  with  chests  for  offerings  and  torch- 
bearers come  the  high  Shinto  priests  in  full  canonicals. 
They  have  officiated  at  the  palace  and  will  officiate  at  the 
shrine — a very  stately,  quaint  impressive  group.  A band 
of  seventeen  musicians  playing  upon  pipes  that  make  a 
shrill  pibroch  sound.  Masters  of  Ceremonies  and  Lord 
Stewards,  all  strangely  coifed  and  robed,  then  twelve 
torches. 

A visible  thrill  now  shakes  the  native  onlookers,  but  not 
a word  is  spoken.  They  sway  gently  like  people  in  a 
standing  dream.  A strange  sound  like  the  distant  lowing 
of  cattle  comes  to  the  ears,  and  four  sacred  oxen  festooned 
with  white  ropes,  attended  by  a cloud  of  antique  cowherds 
come  into  sight  drawing  the  Funeral  Car  of  the  Empress. 


“THE  SENDING  AWAY”  OP  AN  EMPRESS  115 


It  is  high  and  square  and  of  deep  brown  red  lacquer,  with 
long  golden  tassels  hung  from  circular,  chain-like  plates 
of  gold,  and  rests  on  two  large  wheels  covered  with  black 
lacquer,  but  its  strangest  quality  is  that  the  w’heels  creak 
in  a prolonged  unmelodious  groan  that  to  the  minds  of  the 
ancient  Japanese  meant  the  woe  of  the  Inarticulate  for  the 
Mighty  Dead.  A glance  at  the  multitude  pressing  around 
us  showed  bowled  heads,  and,  on  the  faces  of  those  nearest 
to  us,  tears! 

With  the  passing  of  the  funeral  car  the  tension  visibly 
relaxed.  Here  w-as  the  Lord  of  the  Imperial  Household  in 
full  white  robe  and  sword,  a white-robed  official  carrying 
the  imperial  sandals  in  a white  box,  then  stool  and  step- 
bearers  and  officials  in  full  wdiite  robe  and  swmrd;  then 
officers  of  the  Imperial  Guards  in  modern  uniforms  heavy 
with  gold  lace,  then,  in  a general’s  uniform.  Prince  Kan-in, 
of  the  imperial  family,  chief  mourner  representing  the 
Emperor, — a middle-aged  gentleman  who  marched  well, — 
followed  by  a line  of  glittering  aides  de  camp ; then  Princes 
of  the  Blood  and  their  sons  marching  two  abreast.  The 
Court  Physicians  follow’ed;  then  masses  of  dignified  men 
in  gold-braided  coats  and  cocked  hats,  knights,  as  it  were, 
of  the  Grand  Order  of  Merit,  generals,  admirals,  digni- 
taries, very  splendid  and  grave  personages,  some  of  whom 
raised  mundane  umbrellas  against  the  gentle  descending 
rain,  then  trumpeters,  then  another  band,  and  then 
regiment  after  regiment  of  the  Guard  of  Honour  from 
the  army. 

So,  old  and  vanishing,  picturesque  Japan  wdth  the 
Empress  Dowager’s  hearse  went  on  into  the  night,  the 
sailor  men  of  today  before,  and  the  army  boys  of  today 
closing  the  line. 

On  through  the  miles  of  bowed  heads  the  pageant  slowly, 
slowly  passed  and  in  at  the  Yoyogi  gate  between  the  wider 
lines  of  onlookers,  under  the  first  torii  nearer  the  gate  and 


116 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


to  the  second  torii  before  the  shrine.  The  wavering  glow 
from  the  blazing  cressets,  the  pale  moons  of  the  lanterns, 
and  the  flames  of  the  expiring  torches  were  here  the  only 
light. 

The  young  Emperor  who  with  the  Empress  had  driven 
from  the  Aoyama  palace  by  another  route,  here  met  the 
funeral  car.  Gently  the  coffin  was  lifted  out,  placed  in  the 
sanctuary  of  the  shrine,  and  the  curtain  was  withdrawn, 
letting  in  a flood  of  light. 

Now  came  the  High  Priest  forward  and  made  the  old- 
time  offerings,  and  the  Emperor,  paying  homage,  read  in 
a low  voice  the  imperial  address : 

“I,  Yoshihito,  reverently  address  the  Spirit  of  the  late 
Empress-Mother.  Only  a year  and  a half  has  elapsed 
since  the  conclusion  of  the  national  mourning  for  his 
Majesty  the  late  Emperor,  and  our  tears  are  barely  dry 
when,  alas,  we  again  suffer  a great  loss.  How  unpitying, 
alas,  is  Heaven  to  Yoshihito ! 

“We  have  in  person  performed  ceremonies  while  Her 
Late  Majesty  lay  in  state,  sanctified,  in  a temporary  shrine 
for  several  tens  of  days  past;  and  we  are  now  about  to 
lay  the  August  Remains  beside  those  of  the  late  Imperial 
Father. 

“We  have  now  come  to  say  farewell,  alas!  At  this 
moment  our  sorrow  is  unbearable.  ’ ’ 

Then  came  the  Empress  and  the  Princes  and  Princesses 
of  the  Blood  paying  homage,  followed  in  turn  by  all  the 
dignitaries  present.  Again  there  was  Shinto  rite  and 
prayer.  The  coffin  was  gently  rolled  upon  a draped  plat- 
form-car that  had  been  run  in  over  a freshly  laid  switch. 
So  it  was  made  part  of  the  imperial  train  that  at  two  in 
the  morning  took  its  way  to  Kyoto,  328  miles  away,  the 
burial  place  of  the  imperial  family  for  a thousand  years, 
and  until  1868  the  capital  of  the  Empire. 

Never  had  crowds  melted  so  quietly  away.  The  city  had 


“THE  SENDING  AWAY”  OF  AN  EMPRESS  117 


swallowed  up  its  half-million  of  onlookers  as  if  it  was 
the  dismissal  of  a Sunday  school.  The  gentle  rain  had 
ceased.  The  night  air  was  fresh  and  sweet  and  mild,  and 
the  sky  had  lifted  its  clouds  until  only  light  cirrus  of 
soft  grey  tinge  showed  overhead  against  the  inky  blue. 
The  lights  shone  out  from  the  trees  on  the  wooded  heights, 
and  were  reflected  in  the  garden  pools,  lakelets  and  wide 
moats  lapping  gently  against  the  bases  of  massive  old 
fortress  walls  crowned  with  ancient  pine  trees  weirdly  bent, 
whose  branches  lean  over  to  see  their  reflection  in  the  water 
below.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Japan  and  the  children  were  abed, 
and  the  belated  visitors  at  the  foreign  hotels  were  relaxing 
after  their  long,  unwonted  vigil.  A train  with  many 
lights  was  steaming  slowly  to  the  South,  and  the  “sending 
away”  of  the  gracious  Empress  Dowager  was  over. 


I 


' 1 r. 


CHAPTER  X u- 

THE  MAKING  OF  GODS  IN  JAPAN 

Ancestor  worship  at  the  root  of  Japanese  religion — The  Emperor 
Meiji — Why  he  will  be  a great  god — The  type  of  a glorious 
era  in  peace  and  war — The  case  of  General  Count  Nogi — His 
glorious,  tragic  life  and  dramatic  suicide — Desire  of  lonely 
immortality — How  thwarted — The  forty-seven  ronins  and 
their  undying  popularity — Count  Nogi’s  house  a shrine — 
Tachibana  and  Hii'ose. 

T.  I.  M.  the  Emperor  and  Empress  will  be  pleased  to  proceed 
to  the  Yasukuni  Shrine,  Kudanzaka,  on  the  29th  instant  at  10 
and  11  in  the  morning  respectively  to  worship  personally  before 
the  shrine  where  the  departed  soldiers,  who  have  sacrificed  their 
lives  for  the  cause  of  the  Emperor  and  the  country,  sleep,  and  are 
worshipped  as  guardians  of  the  State.  Before  and  after  the  day 
of  the  imperial  worship,  during  six  days,  as  already  stated,  a fete 
will  be  held  at  the  shrine  and  the  heroes  of  Tsing-tao  will  be 
deified. — Japan  Times,  April  18,  1915. 

Thus  does  modern  Japan  turn  aside  from  its  pressing 
problems  of  the  present  to  honour,  to  glorify  its  heroic 
dead.  The  dead  of  Tsing-tao  of  1914  have  entered  the 
national  pantheon;  henceforth  they  live  with  a godly  life 
of  their  own. 

“Yes,  they  are  making  a god  of  him.” 

We  were  talking  in  Tokyo  about  feats  of  battle 
in  old  and  new  Japan  and  its  foreign  wars,  and 
some  one  had  let  drop  the  name  of  Tachibana.  .There 
was  a sudden  chorus  of  eulogy  and  one  young  college 

118 


THE  MAKING  OF  GODS  IN  JAPAN 


119 


man  with  something  of  awe  in  his  tones  suggested  the 
curious  process  of  creation  of  the  divine  as  something  well 
on  its  way. 

And  it  Avas  quite  true. 

It  was  doubtless  the  mystical  trend  in  Lafcadio  Hearn’s 
extremely  sensitive  mind  that  made  him  practically  begin 
his  “Interpretation”  of  Japan  to  the  Western  hemisphere 
by  examining  the  attitude  of  the  Japanese  to  the  next 
Avorld.  He  found  the  latter  filled  in  that  people’s  belief 
with  the  ghosts  of  all  the  Japanese  who  have  passed 
through  the  gates  of  death  from  the  beginning  of  time, 
from  the  beginning  of  the  gods.  He  devotes  much  atten- 
tion to  ancestor  worship. 

Nothing,  Mr.  Hearn  believes,  is  more  alive  in  Japan  than 
the  dead — if,  by  Celtic  paradox,  I may  put  it  that  way. 
They  are  with  the  living  all  the  time,  guiding  them  in  the 
affairs  of  life  and  must  be  daily  worshipped  and  at  all 
times  propitiated;  for,  look  you,  they  can  do  you  great 
harm  if  neglected.  Honour  your  dead  for  the  love  you 
bore  them  in  their  lifetime.  If  you  fail,  look  out.  There- 
fore it  is  that  the  first  rite  in  the  daily  round  of  life  is  to 
offer  food  and  drink  to  them  in  every  palace,  house  and  hut 
in  the  land. 

It  was  possibly  good  psychology  to  take  up  the  study  of 
the  people  of  Japan  from  that  standpoint.  The  religious, 
or  what  answers  for  the  religious,  faith  of  a people  gives 
a certain  clue  to  many  vital  characteristics  when  you  are 
bent  on  meticulous  differentiation,  but  all  peoples  have 
underlying,  because  ancient,  beliefs  about  the  souls  of  the 
dead,  and  they  affect  life  and  conduct  in  about  the  same 
way,  so  that  after  all  you  end  the  inquiry  about  where  you 
started.  In  other  words,  conduct  between  man  and  man 
and  man  and  woman — the  working  of  the  social  contract 
— is  really  affected  by  the  constant  facts  about  us  in  the 
living  world  rather  than  in  any  reflection  from  the  world 


120  JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 

of  the  dead — much  more  dimly  populous  as  the  dead  world 
may  be. 

Still,  Lafcadio  Hearn’s  mystical  outlook  and  inward 
examining  bring  one  just  to  the  right  mood  for  our  subject 
—the  making  of  gods  in  Japan.  We  establish  a link  with 
the  vast  unexplorable  realm  whose  hither  shores  we  may 
only  cross  at  the  price  of  the  life  which  nature  has  in- 
flexibly taught  us  to  preserve,  to  nourish  and  to  prize. 
Something  which  in  exceptional  cases  will  lead  us  to  lay 
down  that  life  gladly,  cheerfully;  aye,  to  take  the  very 
fortress  of  one’s  life  by  self -assault  in  obedience  to  its  call, 
whatever  that  something  is,  must  be  powerful  indeed,  and 
weU  worth  considering. 

Looking  below  the  intense  practical  working  of  the 
modern  Japanese  mind,  its  wholly  material  grasp  on 
jnaterial  things,  its  swift  assimilation  of  modern  science  in 
its  essence  as  well  as  in  its  details,  we  do  truly  come  on 
another  world  of  thought.  With  their  most  agnostic  we 
are  told  that  the  ancient  beliefs  cling  to  some  corner  of 
their  mental  fabric,  that  their  filial  devotion  is  unbroken, 
that  reverence  for  the  souls  of  their  dead  persists  in  men 
who  believe  they  have  no  souls  of  their  own,  and  that  the 
governing  powers  of  the  gods  survive  in  the  minds  of 
men  who  believe  mind  to  be  nothing  more  than  a func- 
tion of  matter  put  into  that  vibration  which  we  call 
life.  How  much  more  thrilling  to  the  mass  of  the 
people  still  believing  simply  in  the  old  order  of  the  ruling 
gods ! 

In  that  realm  where  they  rule  there  is  no  place  for 
the  earth-developed  instincts  that  make  men  barter  sharply, 
chaffer  endlessly  and  grasp  resolutely  in  pursuit  of  gain, 
with  greed  and  avarice  at  one’s  elbow.  No,  here  are  self- 
abnegation,  self-sacrifice,  self-immolation  on  their  thrones, 
and  all  men  must  bow  down  before  them.  Whatever  that 
realm  may  have  been  called  in  the  past — religion  or  what- 


THE  MAKING  OP  GODS  IN  JAPAN 


121 


not — it  is  now  in  Japan  what  the  rest  of  the  world  calls 
patriotism. 

It  is  the  self-consciousness  of  Japan  stated  in  the  highest, 
most  exalted  personal  terms,  and  which  by  its  very  exalta- 
tion tends  to  react  on  the  mass  of  the  people  to  its  lowest 
ranks,  making  a standard  for  all  of  the  clearest  definition. 
So  much  for  the  groundwork  of  a process  of  which  I wit- 
nessed many  absorbingly  interesting  details  amid  the  multi- 
farious evidences  of  the  national  material  outreach  of 
today. 

One  more  fact  must  be  recalled,  namely  the  fact  unique 
in  the  world,  that  the  supreme  ruler  of  Japan  is  himself  a 
god  and  the  direct  descendant  of  the  gods  in  unbroken  line. 
In  the  Shinto  cult,  which  is  the  national  religion  of  Japan, 
the  Mikado,  the  Emperor,  is  the  descendant  of  the  sun 
goddess.  Through  him  all  Japanese  are  the  children  of  the 
great  gods.  He  is  their  sacred  father  and  high  placed 
brother,  as  well  as  their  unassailable  King. 

As  he  dies  to  be  succeeded  by  another  of  the  same  divine 
seed  on  earth  he  takes  his  high  place  in  the  pantheon  of 
Nippon.  And  so  of  the  humblest  Japanese  who  lays  down 
his  garment  of  flesh,  he  also  enters  the  godland.  For 
generations  the  tablet  bearing  his  celestial  name  will  hang 
in  the  family  shrine  and  the  daily  offering  of  food  and 
drink  be  offered  to  him.  And  the  Emperors  will  be  votively 
honoured  by  the  nation  until  another  has  taken  a nearer 
stand  to  the  living  generation,  helping  and  guarding  Japan 
from  their  heavenly  place. 

When  we  of  America  stand  with  bowed  head  before  the 
tomh  of  George  Washington  at  Mount  Vernon  a feeling  of 
reverence,  honour  and  gratitude  for  what  he  was  in  life 
to  the  young  nation  fills  us,  but  we  do  not  look  to  him  as 
still  originating  benefit  to  us  from  the  other  world  save 
through  his  example  and  majesty  of  character.  Before 
Lincoln’s  tomb  we  shed  tears  for  his  fate  and  our  love 


122 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


of  him  burns  bright  in  our  hearts.  Before  the  tomb  of 
Grant  we  get  a reflex  of  his  iron  will  in  war  and  the  broad 
view  of  the  great  warrior  who  yet  loved  peace  better  than 
strife. 

It  is  our  fashion  to  express  these  things  concretely  and 
secularly  by  putting  up  monumental  statuary  to  our  heroes, 
our  teachers,  our  statesmen  in  public  places  with  more  or 
less — often  less — evidence  of  taste.  The  East  traditionally 
has  avoided  that;  but  Japan  in  the  last  score  of  years  has 
adopted  it  to  some  extent  and  with  generally  deplorable 
results. 

The  native  attempts  at  portrait  statuary  in  bronze  as 
seen  on  the  squares  of  Tokyo  in  a score  or  more  of  effigies 
clad  in  terrible  frock  coats  or  implacably  stiffened,  long- 
skirted  uniforms  are  discouraging.  The  flne  monument  to 
Toyotomi  Hideyoshi  with  its  powerful  equestrian  flgure  of 
the  Japanese  Hannibal  is  a striking  exception.  How  much 
flner,  because  in  line  with  the  genius  of  the  people,  were 
the  votive  temples  to  those  whom  Japan  or  its  rulers  loved 
to  honour  in  the  past ! 

Our  present  business,  however,  is  not  with  the  modern 
monuments  but  in  considering  the  exciting  causes  which 
in  Japan  today  are  gradually  inducting  certain  great  souls 
into  the  higher  ranks  of  the  national  gods.  The  most 
pointed  example,  the  most  obvious,  I may  say,  of  the 
century  is  the  Emperor  Mutsuhito,  now  known  by  his 
celestial  name  as  Meiji  (which  means  “Enlightened  Gov- 
ernment”), the  monarch  of  the  Restoration,  whose  hand 
was  on  the  helm  of  state  on  its  passage  through  all  the 
archipelago  of  revolution  until  she  anchored  after  two  great 
foreign  wars  victorious  and  secure  behind  the  great  break- 
water of  the  Constitution  in  the  wide  harbour  of  peace 
and  progress. 

It  was  indeed  a new,  a great  Japan,  from  which  he 
visibly  departed  in  the  year  1912.  Tall  of  frame,  mentally 


THE  MAKING  OF  GODS  IN  JAPAN 


123 


virile,  kind  of  heart,  considerate,  helpful,  he  stood  morally 
worthy  of  his  human  destiny,  making  ever  a predominant 
figure  where  a figurehead  might  have  been  expected.  His 
long  reign  of  forty-four  years  endeared  him  more  and  more 
to  his  people  and  has  foi’med  that  deep  and  massive  rev- 
erence on  which  his  name  is  surely  being  lifted  among  the 
Powers  that  men  of  his  nation  will  pray  to  and  invoke  for 
centuries  to  come. 

It  will  be  recognized  that  over  and  beyond  the  ceremonies 
which  the  court,  the  hierarchy,  the  government,  may  bestow 
on  such  a monarch  and  such  a notable  man,  it  is  by  the 
subtle  assent  of  a whole  people  that  the  enduring  honours 
of  a memory  must  come.  In  this  it  may  well  be  held  that 
the  Emperor  Meiji  rests  secure. 

In  Catholic  countries  a titular  saint.ship  is  bestowed  by 
the  Roman  church  at  the  end  of  a long  lapse  of  time  after 
death,  in  which  the  man  or  woman  of  distinctively  godly 
life  has  passed  under  sharp  scrutiny  by  the  Church  through 
the  respective  stages  of  being  named  the  venerable  and  the 
blessed  before  entering  the  high  honour  of  the  holy.  In 
Japan,  it  is  safe  to  say,  aU  the  powers  of  state  and  nation 
conjoin  in  the  one  thought,  and  the  signs  one  meets  on 
every  hand  in  Japan  are  that  this  will  endure. 

To  his  burial  mound  flock  the  pilgrims  from  the  remotest 
villages.  A great  fane  is  even  now  being  built  there.  The 
poets  lay  their  choicest  wreaths  of  song  there,  and  the 
throb  that  comes  from  out  the  mystical  soul  of  Japan 
reaches  you  when  you  hear  his  name  on  the  lips  of  the 
gentle  and  simple.  No  name  among  the  shoguns  comes 
with  the  same  mystic  force;  lyeyasu  and  lyemitsu,  whom 
the  temples  of  Nikko  honour  hold  no  such  claim,  nor  ever 
did.  One  must  indeed  go  back  over  the  centuries  and  enter 
the  region  of  Jimmu  and  the  semi-historical  emperors  to 
find  the  like  in  esteem  of  the  Emperor  Meiji. 

Above  all,  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  late  Emperor 


124 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


stands  as  the  protagonist  and  type  of  an  era  of  rejuvena- 
tion and  construction  unparalleled  for  achievement  in  the 
annals  of  the  world. 

In  a lesser  degree  the  late  Empress  Dowager  will  share 
this  godly  eminence.  She  will  walk  the  world  of  spirit  and 
shadows  hand  in  hand  with  Meiji.  The  popular  signs  point 
all  that  way.  The  lady  so  much  beloved,  so  genuinely 
mourned,  will  be  a splendid  satellite  and  complementing 
companion  to  the  Emperor  in  the  abode  of  Shinto. 

From  these  imperial  figures,  at  once  and  easily  obvious 
to  the  Western  mind,  as  well  as  to  the  Japanese,  one  comes 
to  a process  of  god-making  now  surely  in  operation ; 
namely,  the  making  of  gods  out  of  national  heroes — the 
battling  heroes  of  the  Meiji.  It  is  a purely  selective 
process.  It  does  not  follow  the  lines  of  promotion  or  of 
rank,  but  it  seizes  instinctively  upon  its  exemplars  and 
marks  them  apart  for  deification.  We  shall  examine  the 
three  soldier  figures  of  the  Meiji  era,  who,  by  aU  signs,  will 
enter  the  ranks  of  the  legendary  heroes  of  Japan  for  all 
time. 

First  and  greatest  and  most  appealing  of  these  is  General 
Count  Kiten  Nogi. 

He  was  a shining  warrior  figure  identified  with  victory 
in  the  Russo-Japanese  and  Chino- Japanese  wars,  a samurai 
of  the  Choshu  elan.  Two  great  achievements  are  to  his 
credit — the  siege  and  capture  of  the  great  Russian  fortress 
of  Port  Arthur  and  the  flanking  operation  at  Mukden 
which  decided  that  tremendous  field. 

That  he  will  rank  in  history  on  the  level  of  Yama- 
gata,  now  prince  of  the  realm,  who  commanded  the  armies 
in  the  war  of  1894-95,  or  with  Marshal  Oyama,  the  com- 
mander-in-chief in  the  great  campaign — 1904-05 — that 
closed  with  the  winning  of  the  battle  of  Mukden  and  the 
defeat  of  Russia,  is  not  perhaps  likely.  The  latter’s  his- 
toric value  as  a military  commander  will,  it  may  be  said, 


THE  MAKING  OF  GODS  IN  JAPAN 


125 


suffer  from  the  fact  that  his  chief  aid,  General  Kodama, 
really  planned  the  large  outline  of  the  Russo-Japanese 
campaign  and  ordered  its  detail  in  the  name  of  his  ehief. 
Kodama  did  not  long  survive  the  war. 

That  Count  Nogi’s  skill  or  courage  or  war  genius  excelled 
that  of  the  other  four  army  commanders  of  the  Russian 
campaign  is  doubtful.  A brilliant  soldier  like  Kuroki,  for 
instance,  should  stand  the  peer  of  any  captain  of  the  war 
that  held  a like  command.  The  records  of  Generals  Nodzu 
and  Oku  are  hardly  inferior,  and  even  General  Kawa- 
mura,  the  last  appointed  leader  of  an  army  in  the  cam- 
paign, although  operating  in  but  one  battle,  developed  high 
qualities  of  the  soldier. 

It  is  not,  however,  in  seeking  out  those  whose  claims 
in  Japan’s  scientific  war  history  prove  equal  or  superior 
to  his,  but  in  seeing  where  he  stands  apart  that  we  shall 
come  to  some  appreciation  of  why  he  has  soared  on  the 
wings  of  Japan’s  imagination  into  the  high  home  of  her 
celestials. 

I would  say  first  of  all  that  it  is  because  of  a touching 
dramatic  completeness  in  his  life  and  his  death.  No  people 
are  more  responsive  to  the  dramatic  appeal  than  the  people 
of  Nippon.  It  cries  out  to  their  artistic  sense. 

Just  as  they  treasure  an  art  object  for  qualities  of  per- 
fection which  have  been  proved  to  the  smallest  detail,  so 
they  are  capable  of,  and  fond  of,  judging  a man’s  life  by 
the  rules  of  the  aesthetieal  as  well  as  of  the  ethical.  If  a 
keen  examination  should  disclose  that  what  some  call  the 
theatric  seemed  to  have  had  some  share  in  Nogi’s  illus- 
tration of  the  dramatic  in  his  life,  it  is  all  in  so  high  a vein 
that  the  less  radiant,  the  more  showy — in  a word,  the  mere 
self-consciousness — that  it  exhibits  belongs  to  the  highest 
drama  in  its  austerity  and  final  sacrifice. 

General  Nogi  came  out  of  the  Russian  war  fully  equal 
in  popular  acclaim  to  Fleet  Admiral  Count  Togo,  who  stood 


126 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


for  Japan’s  victorious  navy  as  Nogi  did  for  all  the  great 
qualities  of  her  army. 

Not  only  because  he  was  distinguished  but  because  he 
was  unique  was  he  the  chosen  of  the  people  for  passionate 
love  and  admiration.  He  was  so  delicate  when  a boy  that 
his  father,  fearing  that  his  son  would  never  make  a sturdy 
samurai,  nicknamed  him  “Mu jin,”  meaning  one  who  w'ould 
never  be  worthy  to  enter  the  knightly  class. 

Constant  exercises,  however,  under  the  strict  discipline  of 
old  Japan  overcame  his  weakness  of  constitution,  so  much 
so  that  he  was  strong  enough  to  engage  in  a fist  fight  which 
he  won  in  the  rebellion  of  the  tenth  year  of  Meiji.  His 
expertness  in  the  art  of  fighting,  his  learning  and  his  up- 
right character  finally  induced  his  lord  to  appoint  him 
tutor  to  the  heir  apparent.  And  so  he  grew  in  years  and 
wisdom. 

Next  we  behold  him  a grim,  silent  man,  who  had  com- 
manded a brigade  with  honour  in  the  capture  of  Port 
Arthur  from  the  Chinese.  He  found  himself  ten  years 
later  in  command  of  the  Third  Army,  assigned  to  the  same 
task  against  the  immeasurably  stronger  fortress  which  the 
Russians  had  made  of  the  former  Chinese  stronghold. 

A Spartan  simplicity  characterized  his  soldier  life. 
Unsparing  of  himself,  fearing  no  privation,  he  exacted  the 
utmost  of  obedience  and  devotion  from  the  highest  to  the 
last  soldier  of  his  command.  Without  flamboyant  appeal 
an  electric  vibration  of  patriotism  passed  from  him  through 
his  army,  and  the  heroic  quality  which  pervaded  all  ranks 
to  the  end  of  the  campaign  was  proof  of  its  potency.  If 
ever  a mystic  effluence  of  devotion  came  fi’om  two  dark  eyes 
in  the  world  it  came  from  his. 

He  had  two  sons — his  only  children — both  bred  to  arms 
as  he  had  been.  Both  went  to  the  war,  splendid  types  of 
young  J apan.  The  younger  was  a lieutenant  with  General 
Oku’s  army  and  was  killed  in  the  action  for  storming  the 


1.  GENERAL  NOGI 

2.  MRS.  NOGI 

3.  GENERAL  NOGl*S  TWO  SONS,  BOTH  KILLED  AT  PORT  ARTHUR 

4.  THE  GRAVES  OF  GENERAL  AND  MRS.  NOGI 

5.  SWORD  AND  HARIKIRI  KNIFE 


1.  GATE  OF  THE  SENGAKl'JI-TEMrEE,  TOKYO 

2.  TOMBS  OF  THE  FORTY-SEVEN  RONINS 


THE  MAKING  OF  GODS  IN  JAPAN 


127 


heights  of  Nanshan,  the  first  land  battle  in  the  march  upon 
Port  Arthur.  As  a sequel  to  that  sharp  fight  General 
Nogi’s  army  began  landing  at  Dalny  (now  Dairen)  and  the 
General  shortly  after  visited  the  scene  of  the  death  of 
his  son. 

He  saw  and  listened,  tearless  and  in  silence,  and  rode 
solitary  away.  Then  out  of  the  depths  of  his  nature  he 
wrote  a little  poem,  here  translated,  which  went  to  the 
heart  of  J apan : 

Hills,  rivers,  grass  and  tree  spread  drear  and  sad; 

Wide  winds  sweep  yestreen’s  carnage-smelling  fields; 

With  halting  steed  and  silent  lips  I roam 
By  Kinchou  Castle  in  the  setting  sun. 

Its  aloofness  and  its  sense  of  desolation,  the  scrupulous 
elegance  of  its  form  in  classic  metre,  have  endeared  it  since 
to  the  nation  high  and  low. 

Deadlj’  strife  around  the  Kussian  fortifications  of  Port 
Arthur  thenceforth  began.  Day  and  night,  months 
through,  sleeping  little,  eating  little,  the  Spartan  spirit  in 
him  wrestled  with  his  giant  task.  Line  after  line  of  the 
aptly  called  “human  bullets”  he  hurled  against  the  de- 
fences with  awful  slaughter  of  the  Japanese  and  with  little 
real  effect  upon  the  beleaguered.  It  was  not  indeed  until 
late  in  the  year  that  he  saw  the  futility  of  his  costly 
infantry  attacks  unless  backed  by  artillery  of  the  highest 
power  attainable. 

Accordingly  eleven-inch  guns  from  the  navy  and  the 
land  fortifications  of  Japan  were  set  up  back' of  his  lines. 
Thenceforward  the  fortress  crumbled  fort  by  fort  and 
height  by  height  until  Stoessel’s  surrender  of  January  2, 
1905,  crowned  that  part  of  Nogi’s  task.  But  before  that 
another  blow  had  to  fall  on  Nogi’s  heart. 

Sitting  alone  in  his  little  room  at  his  headquarters  one 
December  night  he  saw  his  eldest  son  enter  with  the  one 


128 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


word  of  salutation,  “Father!”  Immediatelj^  the  General 
upbraided  him.  Why  had  he  left  his  post  ? That  he  was 
the  General’s  son  did  not  excuse  him  from  his  duties  even 
for  an  hour.  The  son  withdrew  in  silence. 

At  that  same  hour  the  son  lay  dead  at  the  foot  of  the 
newly  taken  203  Meter  Hill,  whither  his  duty  as  an  aid 
had  brought  him  with  a message  for  the  Japanese  com- 
mander. Not  till  the  morning  did  the  father  know.  He 
bowed  his  head  but  shed  no  tear.  So  the  story  runs  in 
Japan.  Again  wrote  Nogi,  this  time  more  aloof  than  ever, 
as  here  liberally  translated  : 

Mount  of  the  soul! 

Steep,  steep  thou  art,  yet  not  to  be  denied 
When  man  scorns  peril  so  he  tops  the  goal. 

Steel  bolts  have  torn  thee  crest  and  side : 

Now  men  gaze  up  to  thee  in  gidef  and  pride, 

Mount  of  the  soul! 

By  an  ideographic  coincidence  the  Japanese  signs  for 
203  Meter  Hill  signify  “Mount  of  the  Soul”  in  Chinese. 
The  General  naturally  implied  the  one  in  setting  down  the 
other.  No  other  sign  of  grief  he  gave,  but  here  his  hopes 
of  posterity  ended.  Shortly  thereafter  he  was  to  meet 
Stoessel,  the  Russian  commander,  and  take  over  as  pris- 
oners what  remained  of  well  and  sick  in  the  Museo\ute 
garrison  and  the  broken  fortress  besides — a great,  great 
victory.  Save  ag  it  made  glory  for  Japan  and  his  lord, 
the  Emperor,  it  brought  him  no  joy. 

There  had  come  a term  to  his  joy  in  life,  but  not  to  his 
toil.  He  marched  his  victorious  army  north  to  join  the 
armies  facing  Kuropatkin’s  300,000  Russians  at  Mukden, 
and  there  hung  so  fiercely  on  the  Muscovite  flank  that  the 
disastrous  flight  of  their  army  followed,  and  final  victory 
came  to  Japan. 

So  at  the  end  of  the  war  we  see  him  returned  to  Japan 


THE  MAKING  OF  GODS  IN  JAPAN 


129 


an  idol  of  the  people  as  embodying  their  soldier  spirit  in 
every  desired  manifestation — courage,  obedience,  serenity, 
determination,  resource,  skill,  loyalty,  devotion.  Honours 
were  showered  upon  him.  In  his  eyes  he  had  held  for  real 
his  ascription  to  the  virtues  of  the  Emperor  as  the  true 
source  of  the  victories  on  land  and  sea.  In  return  the 
Emperor  held  him  in  tender  regard  for  his  greatness  and 
his  suffering. 

Here  then  lay  root  and  trunk  and  branches  of  the  goodly 
tree  of  paradise.  As  he  settled  down — his  wife  and  himself 
— to  the  life  of  the  home-come  veteran  in  a modest  house  on 
a slight  eminence  looking  down  on  Tokyo  something  sacred 
seemed  about  him,  but  the  claim  on  the  imagination  was 
soon  to  be  made  supreme.  It  is  somewhat  shocking  to  the 
Western  mind  that  the  final  touch  of  the  magic  wand  was 
to  come  through  the  grisly  gate  of  a double  suicide.  And 
yet 

The  great  Emperor  lay  dead  in  the  imperial  palace.  A 
nation  in  tears  and  prayer  hovered  about  his  door.  All  the 
sumptuary  grandeur  of  the  imperial  funeral  rites  was  ready 
for  the  impressive  torchlit  procession.  Along  the  route  all 
Tokyo  waited  in  breathless  silence.  All  the  high  digni- 
taries of  Japan  stood  mute  in  line,  and  they  wondered; 
Nogi  the  beloved,  the  honoured  of  the  Meiji  was  not  there, 
at  eight  o ’clock  a great  gun  boomed  its  signal  roll  of  thunder 
over  Tokyo  and  at  the  instant  the  slow  march  was  taken  up. 

Over  the  quaint  immemorial  imperial  hearse  drawn  by 
white  oxen  some  saw,  or  said  they  saw,  hover  a pale  blue 
flame.  That  was  the  soul  of  Count  Kiten  Nogi,  a convoy 
to  the  soul  of  his  master  in  the  world  of  shadows. 

With  steady  deliberation  and  curious  prevision  he  had 
made  ready  for  the  end.  His  aged  wife  and  he  had  sat  for 
their  photographs  the  day  before.  The  household  had  all 
been  set  in  order.  Husband  and  wife  had  spent  the  after- 
noon together.  Toward  dusk  the  servants  had  been  told  to 


130 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


go  to  the  lower  floor  of  the  house;  the  master  wanted  to 
rest.  A heavy  sound  as  of  a body  falling  followed  the 
echo  of  the  palace  gun,  and  then  another  fall ; then  silence. 

Both  were  found  weltering  in  their  blood,  dead.  The 
general  was  in  his  full  uniform.  Beside  them  lay  the  short 
sword  with  which  the  General  had  pierced  and  cut  across 
his  abdomen  and  the  knife  with  which  his  wife  had  pierced 
her  throat — all  strictly  according  to  the  law  of  harakiri. 
He  had  set  the  seal  upon  his  deiflcation. 

A sign,  too,  of  the  old  General’s  curious  reach  after 
earthly  immortality  was  found  in  his  will.  He  had  rela- 
tives who,  since  he  would  leave  no  direct  issue,  might  make 
application  for  the  title,  and,  by  imperial  favour,  might 
obtain  it,  since  the  existence  among  the  living  of  a bearer 
of  the  title  of  its  typical  soldier  would  always  be  a live 
national  asset.  He  desired  to  stand  in  history  alone  of 
his  name  and  title,  and  so  laid  it  down  in  his  last  testament 
as  his  ardent  desire  that  the  title  should  die  with  him : that 
none  should  succeed  him.  And  so  for  some  four  years  it 
stood.  A last  vanity,  perhaps,  but  to  the  people  something 
not  only  pardonable  but  sacred.  The  high  authorities, 
however,  thought  otherwise,  thought  in  fact  it  was  better 
to  have  many  Counts  Nogi  on  the  earth  than  only  one  in 
the  spirit-land,  and  so  a new  Count  Nogi  was  created,  no 
blood  relative  whatever  of  the  old  hero,  but,  it  was  some- 
what apologetically  stated,  a member  of  the  daimio  family 
whose  head  in  the  feudal  time  was  lord  over  the  samurai 
family  of  the  Nogis. 

There  w'ere  some  indignation  meetings  among  the  people 
over  this  upsettal  of  the  General’s  wflll  and  wish;  there 
were,  indeed,  some  hot-headed  members  of  Parliament  who 
threatened  to  make  it  a ministerial  question  in  the  House, 
but  like  our  complaints  of  the  weather,  nothing  came  of  it. 
Should  the  shade  of  the  interloping  Counts  meet  the  shade 
of  the  real  original,  my,  what  a calling  down! 


THE  MAKING  OF  GODS  IN  JAPAN 


131 


What  sanctity  the  ritual  suicide  carries  to  the  Japanese 
mind  can  scarcely  be  guessed  by  one  of  another  race.  The 
popular  heroes  of  Japan  are  the  forty-seven  Ronins, 
vengeance-wreaking  followers  of  the  wronged  Lord  Asano, 
all  of  whom  committed  seppuku  or  harakiri,  as  it  was 
variously  called  some  two  hundred  and  fifteen  years  ago; 
all  at  the  same  morning  hour,  all  by  gracious  permission 
of  the  law  as  the  alternative  to  death  at  the  executioner’s 
hands. 

Who  does  not  know  the  tale?  I retell  it  in  my  story  of 
the  Theatre  in  Japan,  and  here  recall  it  only  to  point  out 
that  their  graves  may  still  be  seen  in  Tokyo. 

The  temple  burial  place  where  the  little  squared  head- 
stones of  the  forty-seven  stand  in  a touching  oblong  is  the 
shrine  in  all  Japan  most  thronged  every  day  in  the  year. 
Before  every  stone  incense  is  burned  by  the  visitors.  Not 
one  is  neglected. 

For  the  grave  of  the  youngest,  a lad  of  seventeen,  the 
incense  receptacle  is  many  times  the  largest.  I laid  my 
bundle  of  sticks  upon,  the  grave  of  the  oldest,  a man  of 
seventy-two,  who  in  this  competition  of  the  dead  ordinarily 
had  the  fewest.  Poor  old  chap ! There  is  a museum  of 
the  Ronin  relics  in  the  temple  itself,  and  there  the  pious 
and  curious  linger  fascinated. 

Vengeance  and  self-immolation!  the  records  ring  with 
examples  of  them.  Through  the  Japanese  drama  and  art 
and  literature  of  a thousand  years  they  hold  the  central 
place  of  honour.  “The  47  Ronins”  was  perhaps  the  first 
story  shown  in  the  Japanese  “movies.”  It  occurs  in  one 
phase  or  another  on  every  moving  picture  program. 

And  so  of  the  growing  cult  of  Nogi.  From  the  beginning 
the  government  has  quietly  favoured  it.  My  first  obser- 
vation was  at  the  Military  Museum  near  the  Kudan  temple 
in  Tokyo. 

There  amid  the  historic  cannon,  the  ancient  and  modern 


132 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


guns,  the  old  muzzle-loading  muskets  and  the  modern  rifles, 
the  glittering  displays  of  superb  samurai  swords,  there  are 
large  rooms  devoted  to  the  relics  of  the  General,  most  con- 
spicuous being  the  General’s  uniform  and  the  robe  his  wife 
wore  when  they  took  themselves  out  of  the  world  so 
bloodily.  In  the  front  of  the  glass  case  containing  them 
are  the  blades  of  the  knives  they  used — for  him  a long  lean 
blade  about  four  inches  longer  than  the  usual  harakiri 
knife;  for  her  a narrow,  slightly  curved  blade  about  nine 
inches  long.  Above  these  grim  relics  hang  his  portrait  and 
hers  in  black  and  white,  obviously  enlarged  photographs — 
a lean,  grizzled  soldier  face  and  the  face,  somewhat  care- 
worn, of  a mother. 

In  the  cases  around  are  his  medals  from  all  his  wars 
and  his  orders  of  knighthood  from  the  Emperor  and  other 
crowned  heads,  with  many  swords  and  some  ancient  arms 
and  armour,  family  heirlooms,  most  of  them  bearing  in  some 
way  the  insignia  of  the  family  or  the  Choshu  clan.  The 
rooms  were  thronged  by  visitors  hushed  with  awe. 

It  was  of  a grey  forenoon  of  early  May  that  I went  to 
the  late  home  of  General  Nogi  on  the  crest  of  Akasaka. 
Mounting  a steep  street,  till  lately  known  as  Ghost  Hill,  but 
now  renamed  Nogesaka,  or  Nogi  Hill,  we  turned  to  the 
right  and  a few  rods  down  came  upon  the  little  two-story 
house  standing  back  from  the  outer  fence  only  far  enough 
to  make  room  for  a Japanese  pine  tree,  with  slightly  curved 
trunk,  and  a fine  umbrella-topped  leafage. 

People,  pilgrims  in  groups,  visitors  in  twos  and  threes 
were  entering  or  leaving,  and  it  is  so  every  day,  they  told 
me.  A naive  method  of  exhibiting  the  rooms  has  been 
devised,  namely  a platform  raised  about  two  feet  from  the 
ground  running  along  the  side  of  the  house.  It  allows 
one  to  look  on  a level  through  the  windows.  The  window 
shades  are  raised,  leaving  the  whole  interior  in  full  view. 

We  pass  along  with  the  rest,  hats  in  hand.  First  we  see 


THE  MAKING  OP  GODS  IN  JAPAN 


133 


the  modest  reception  parlour  and  note  that  the  house  has 
electric  light.  A large  print  of  the  bombardment  of  Port 
Arthur  hangs  on  the  wall.  The  dining  room  opens  out 
beyond  the  parlour,  showing  a table  with  rounded  corners 
about  which  eight  people  might  be  seated.  The  room 
furthest  from  the  front — an  eight-mat  room — was  the  scene 
of  the  double  suicide. 

It  was  quite  clear  of  furniture.  A notice  indicating  a 
place  on  one  of  the  mats  showing  a faint  brownish  stain 
says:  “Blood  stain  of  the  last  moment.”  Here  the  plainly 
clad  visitors  were  fain  to  halt,  staring  in  with  subdued 
excitement,  whispering,  pointing,  until  an  official  waved 
them  to  pass  on. 

As  we  pass  on  slowly  with  them  the  thought  comes  of 
that  weird  evening  and  what  the  thoughts  of  the  self- 
doomed  couple  had  been.  He  was  sixty-three,  his  wife  a 
shade  younger.  They  were  very  much  alone  in  the  world, 
their  children  gone,  their  Emperor  gone,  their  minds  weak- 
ened by  much  brooding.  But  in  the  doing  there  was  so 
much  method,  such  a timing  of  the  event,  that  one  is  forced 
to  think  that  his  last  thought  was  that  it  was  not  so  hard 
to  barter  a few  dull  years  for  a leap  into  the  dark  that 
would  open  upon  a high  earthly  immortality. 

Out  in  the  garden  on  one  side  of  the  house  a miniature 
shrine  temple  has  been  erected  with  a torii  before  it  and 
a well  for  ablutions.  There  are  many  thin  young  pines 
and  a laurel  tree  sent  to  the  General  by  friends  in  Italy. 

On  a lower  level  or  terrace  is  a vegetable  garden  which 
the  old  General  loved  to  tend  himself.  A sign  under  a tree 
advises  the  world  that  “Here  the  General’s  blood  was 
buried.  ’ ’ On  the  right  of  the  house  is  the  stable  with  four 
now  empty  stalls  for  the  General’s  chargers.  Apparently 
he  had  no  carriage  or  automobile.  He  loved  his  horses. 

Thence  we  proceeded  to  Aoyama  Cemetery,  the  burial 
place  of  the  wealthy  and  notable  folk  of  Tokyo.  The 


134 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


monuments  are  mostly  simple — generally  a square  inscribed 
stone  or  plain  rounded  stones  of  irregular  ovoid  shape  with 
receptacles  for  flowers  or  for  burning  incense.  The  graves 
of  some  daimios  are  more  pretentious.  Laughing  boj'S 
selling  branches  of  sakaki — the  sacred  shrine  tree — greet 
one  on  the  paths  among  the  tombs.  Shreds  of  paper  sym- 
bolizing purity  stand  out  like  snow  spirits  among  the 
lustrous  dark  green  leaves  with  serrated  edges. 

General  Nogi’s  grave  is  enclosed  by  a stone  wall  about 
three  feet  high,  surmounted  by  two  feet  of  iron  railing.  It 
is  a little  lot,  maybe  four  by  flve  yards  square.  The 
General’s  headstone  is  to  the  right,  an  unfashioned  stone, 
point  upward.  His  wife’s,  smaller,  more  rounded,  is  to 
the  left.  The  inscriptions  in  a straight  line  run  down  the 
centre.  On  the  side  nearest  you  are  two  squared  stones, 
one  for  each  of  his  sons.  Small  stones  for  less  distinguished 
scions  of  the  family  crowd  the  little  enclosure. 

There  is  a box  for  visiting  cards,  a quaint  bit  of  Japanese 
ceremony.  Many  sakaki  branches  were  twined  about  the 
railing.  Sockets  filled  with  fresh-cut  flowers  were  on  either 
side  of  the  two  main  graves. 

To  the  grave  in  reverent  stream  came  the  people,  passing 
with  bowed  head,  peering  as  we  peered,  but  with  surely 
a deeper  thought. 

At  the  museum,  at  the  house,  at  the  grave,  the  same 
intensity  of  interest.  One  felt  in  all  the  natural  growth  of 
the  legendary  hero  of  a nation.  What  has  conjoined  to 
make  that  growth,  we  have  somewhat  seen. 

In  looking  at  it  out  of  alien  eyes  we  know  that  we  cannot 
gauge  it  all,  for  the  outreachings  of  a religious  belief  that 
brings  generation  after  generation  into  eerie  communion 
with  a ghostly  world  as  part  of  its  daily  thought  are  utterly 
beyond  us.  That  it  all  sits  comfortably  on  a perfectly 
modern  and  normal  life  makes  it  the  stranger  still. 

Of  course,  as  indicated  above,  they  have  more  than  one 


THE  IVIAKING  OP  GODS  IN  JAPAN 


135 


god  in  the  making  even  now  in  Japan.  As  the  national 
idea  has  definitely  and  forever  taken  the  place  of  the  clan, 
even  the  lesser  new  gods  must  be  national.  At  present,  as 
in  the  case  of  General  Nogi,  the  fighting  forces  furnish 
them. 

Out  of  the  unquestioning  devotion  of  thousands  on  thou- 
sands in  the  Russo-Japanese  war  who  laid  down  their  lives 
where  the  risks  of  ordinary  fighting  were  exchanged  for 
almost  absolute  certainty  of  death,  two  names  are  rising, 
namely  Major  Taehibana,  a hero  of  the  battle  of  Liao-yang, 
and  Naval  Lieutenant  Commander  Hirose  of  the  harbour 
blockading  at  Port  Arthur,  the  Japanese  Hobson,  as  one 
might  say. 

On  the  Russian  battle  line  south  of  Liao-yang  there  is  a 
long  line  of  hills  that  run  across  country.  The  road  south 
runs  between  two  of  them;  on  one  side  a rocky  mountain 
rises  sheer  and  unscalable;  on  the  other  side  a steep  but 
negotiable  hill  rises  and  is  joined  to  quite  a range.  At  the 
foot  of  the  latter  a Russian  trench  extended  for  miles.  Its 
summit,  was  held  by  a cloud  of  Russian  infantry.  Oblique 
fire  enfiladed  the  front  of  it  and  the  indirect  fire  of  bat- 
teries at  the  rear  swept  the  Japanese  lines  at  every  advance. 

On  a hot  August  morning  two  companies  led  by  Major 
Taehibana  made  an  incredible  dash  from  the  Japanese  lines 
over  the  line  of  Russian  trenches  and  up  the  face  of  the  hill. 
They  went  in  two  divisions,  each  destined  to  a separate 
acclivity,  the  company  he  led  choosing  the  most  difficult 
spot  in  the  front.  From  the  side,  from  the  summit,  they 
were  swept  by  a rain  of  bullets.  It  was  a miracle  that  any 
could  make  the  climb,  but  Taehibana  did,  reaching  the 
summit,  Japanese  sword  in  hand,  leaping  in  among  the 
Russians  and  slaying  right  and  left  until  the  thrust  of  a 
bayonet  laid  him  low. 

To  his  corpse  the  gallant  Russians  paid  high  honour,  and 
among  the  Japanese  he  at  once  went  into  the  company  of 


136 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


the  gods,  to  be  one  of  them  forever  after.  The  Tachibana 
hill,  as  it  now  is  named,  stands  bare  and  windswept  and  is 
seldom  visited  today,  but  it  attracts  pilgrims  of  the  choicest 
all  the  same. 

A week  before  I stood  upon  the  hill,  looking  down  at  the 
long  battle  line  of  1904,  two  princes  of  the  imperial  blood. 
Prince  Kuni,  one  of  them,  with  a large  staff  stood  there. 
He  was  good  enough  to  send  me  a print  of  a kodak  shot 
he  had  taken  of  his  group,  finding  that  I too  honoured  the 
mad  bravery  of  Tachibana.  Something  more  than  his 
white  courage  must,  I divined,  have  operated  to  make  it 
so  distinctive.  It  was  found  in  the  character  out  of  which 
it  arose. 

He  was,  it  seems,  of  the  gentlest  mind,  of  the  sunniest 
disposition,  overflowing  with  kindness  and  consideration  to 
all  about  him.  Out  of  the  lamb  of  peace  had  arisen  the  lion 
of  war.  More  than  that,  he  had  been  a military  aid  of  the 
present  Emperor  when  the  latter  was  crown  prince.  His 
legend  grows. 

Lieutenant  Commander  Hirose’s  sudden  spring,  to  fame 
we  can  match  with  the  attention  paid  and  civic  honours 
showered  on  Hobson  after  his  release  from  the  Spanish 
prison  where  he  had  been  lodged  after  his  rescue  from  the 
Merrimac,  which  he  so  ineffectually  sunk  in  the  neck  of 
Santiago  harbour.  Hirose  brought  to  his  fighting  task  in 
the  navy  a great  reputation  for  his  skill  in  jiu-jitsu.  He 
made  a journey  to  St.  Petersburg  to  give  an  exhibition  of 
it  before  the  Emperor  of  Russia.  He  rode  his  horse  all  the 
way  back  across  the  width  of  Siberia. 

Hirose  died  in  his  second  attempt  to  seal  the  harbour 
of  Port  Arthur  and  Japan  went  wild  over  his  memory. 
His  monument  stands  already  in  Tokyo  and  he  has  surely 
become  one  of  the  minor  gods  of  Japan. 


CHAPTER  XI 


THE  THEATRE  IN  JAPAN 

The  No  and  its  likeness  to  the  old  Greek  drama — A charming 
compliment — “Hachi-no-ki” — Singing  and  instrumental  ac- 
companiment— Stage  dancing — Modern  pieces — Fine  stage 
settings — Dramas  that  play  seven  hours — The  Imperial 
Theatre — Popular  old  melodrama — “The  Flight  of  the 
Prince” — Suicide  a great  theme — “The  Step  Mother” — “One 
Sided  Love” — “Forty-seven  Ronins” — Ghosts — Males  in 
woman  parts — The  marionettes — “The  Soul  of  Nippon.” 

The  Japanese  love  the  theatre,  and  it  is  a thoroughly 
national  institution.  You  will  be  told  in  select  circles  how 
up  to  the  Restoration  in  1868  the  theatre  was  looked  down 
on,  and  actors  in  the  view  of  the  samurai  class  were  beneath 
contempt — the  offensive  manifestants  of  a degrading  kind 
of  exhibition.  There  wns,  no  doubt,  much  affectation  in 
this.  The  popular  theatre  was  supposed  to  clash  with  the 
traditions  of  the  Japanese  classic  drama  known  as  the 
“No,”  or  “No  Dance,”  and  so  was  to  be  reprehended. 

In  reality  it  did  not  clash  with  the  No.  It  had  grown 
independently,  battling  for  the  approval  of  a public  from 
whom  all  knowledge  of  the  No  had  been  jealously,  aristo- 
cratically withheld.  It  grew  in  favour  largely  because  of 
this  withholding.  And  then  the  No  w’as  a fixed  finished 
product;  all  progress,  all  growth  lay  with  the  popular 
drama. 

Today  there  are  hundreds  of  theatres  giving  popular 
drama.  The  No  are  only  given  at  stated  intervals  four  or 
five  times  a year,  in  a few  places  in  the  Empire,  although 

187 


138 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


their  literature  and  song  are  a vital  part  of  a polite 
Japanese  education,  standing  to  Japan  much  as  our  Eliza- 
bethan drama  does  to  us — the  source  of  poetical  allusion, 
clothed  in  fit  and  often  subtle  phrase,  of  historic  storj' 
and  crystallized  fable.  It  is  too  of  earlier  date  than  ours, 
rather  of  the  time  of  our  churchly  drama — the  miracle  play 
of  Avhich  “Everyman”  is  the  shining  example  known  to 
our  times. 

The  No  is  a collection  of  some  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  dramatic  episodes,  mostly  tragic,  which  were  collected 
and  given  permanent  form  in  the  early  fifteenth  century,  a 
century  and  a half  before  Marlowe,  Shakespeare,  Ben 
Jonson  and  their  starry  fellows  built  up  the  English  drama 
to  great  human  heights  of  thought,  character,  clash  and 
expres.sion.  To  attend  one  of  the  No  performances  unpre- 
pared and  unenlightened  would  be  to  pass  a wearisome 
time,  particularly  for  a foreigner  drilled  to  the  idea  of 
quick  moving  action,  but  once  its  springs  of  thought  and 
wells  of  expression  have  been  grasped  and  the  dramatic 
limitations  accepted  it  is  capable  of  becoming  a long  and 
sure  delight. 

Like  so  much  else  of  J apanese  art  it  is  in  its  present  shape 
born  of  Buddhism,  although  it  doubtless  derives  from  a still 
more  remote  original  whose  beginnings  are  lost  in  the  mists 
of  a thousand  years  before  Japanese  history  began.  Its 
perfection  was  the  work  of  learned  priests  and  monks.  It 
is  a collection  of  tales  and  fables  illustrating  the  heroic 
and  historical  periods  of  old  Japan  in  dramatic  form,  set 
down  in  choice  language,  and  bearing  a curious  resemblance 
to  the  old  Greek  drama  in  that  many  of  the  characters  use 
masks,  that  it  is  all  chanted,  and  that  a chorus  takes  up 
the  action  where  the  dialogue  leaves  off,  often,  I may  say, 
speaking  the  thoughts  of  the  characters. 

And  there  are  often  likenesses  and  differences  suggesting 
that  both  Greek  and  Japanese  dramatic  art  came  from  some 


THE  theatre  in  JAPAN 


139 


lost  Asiatic  source  of  a religious  and  ritualistic  nature. 
They  all  enforce  some  virtue — purity,  truth,  altruism, 
heroism  in  suifering,  sublime  generosity,  filial  and  family 
love,  devotion  unto  death.  There  are  lighter  pieces  used 
as  interludes  which  may  illustrate  ingenious  roguery, 
always  in  the  end  discovered  and  punished — the  priestly 
touch. 

All  the  serious  pieces  are  bathed  in  a charming  poetry — 
very  felicitous  nature  poetry — and  are  full  of  quotations 
from  ancient  saws  and  songs.  Again  the  language  is  full 
of  allusion  and  suggestion  beyond  ordinary  grasp,  which 
makes  it  a heaven  for  scholars  but  the  despair  of  those 
called  on  to  go  into  ecstasies  over  a “pivot”  word  or  a 
“motive”  just,  it  appears,  in  the  right  place. 

Apart  from  the  books,  however,  if  you  have' caught  the 
spirit  of  the  plays,  their  spiritual  implication,  the  revela- 
tion of  the  eternal  in  human  character  and  motive  and  the 
ways  and  manners  of  remote  times  all  lie  on  the  surface  as 
they  are  acted.  Patience  is  all  you  need,  for  the  develop- 
ment is  very  slow  to  our  minds. 

I had  been  attending  the  theatre  in  Japan  at  every 
opportunity,  but  the  No  performances  for  months  evaded 
me.  From  Shimonoseki  to  Hakodate  I mourned  aloud  to 
all  and  sundry  over  this  fact,  and  to  my  great  joy  and 
surprise  I was  at  last  informed  by  my  good  friend  Buyei 
Nakano  (blessed  be  his  name),  who  is  president  of  most 
things  at  Tokyo  by  which  commerce  is  advanced  and  art 
promoted,  that  by  the  use  of  certain  magic  arts  he  had  been 
able  to  induce  the  Tokyo  Society  of  the  No  to  give  one  more 
performance,  really,  he  whispered,  for  my  benefit,  though 
the  society  was  not  to  be  overinformed  about  that  end  of 
the  affair.  Pleased?  Proud?  Well 

Really  there  is  an  endless  politeness  about  these  people. 
It  happened,  you  see,  that  a few  years  ago  I threw  into 
English  verse  a free  version  of  one  of  these  No  plays,  and 


140 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


it  was  published  in  the  Atlantic  and  so  reached  the  Pacific. 
I had  never  seen  a translation  of  the  original  and  had  just 
constructed  my  verses  from  an  oral  telling  of  the  story,  a 
Japanese  friend  kindly  correcting  some  natural  solecisms 
in  my  telling  of  it.  And  that  I should  leave  Japan  without 
seeing  a No  dance  was,  hence,  unthinkable. 

So,  in  the  dog  days  of  that  year  of  grace,  behold  the 
actors  and  the  chorus  and  the  musicians  donning  their 
heavy  winter  garments  of  cloths  and  brocades  and  an 
audience  of  five  hundred  of  the  flower  of  Tokyo  society 
assembling  for  a performance  in  honour  of  one  who  had 
simply  shown  that  he  loved  what  they  loved.  That  was  a 
very  noble  thing  to  do  and  all  unworthy  I make  what 
kindly  acknowledgment  I can  of  the  great  courtesy. 

And  the  surprise  of  all  was  that  the  serious  piece  they 
were  giving  was  that  very  story  well  known  as  the  ‘ ‘ Hachi- 
no-ki”  or  “Trees  in  Jars,”  from  which  I had  constructed 
my  “Soul  of  Nippon.”  A shogun  or  regent  of  the  Hojo 
dynasty  of  six  hundred  years  back  named  Tokiyori  goes 
forth  disguised  as  a Buddhist  priest  to  learn  what  people 
think  of  him.  He  begs  his  way  and  learns  much  going  from 
Kamakura  as  far  as  Shinano,  but  is  turning  back  unsatis- 
fied when  at  nightfall  a snowstorm  overtakes  him. 

He  approaches  a poor,  solitary  hut  and  is  at  first  denied 
shelter  by  the  husband  because  of  their  great  poverty  and 
the  priest’s  majesty  of  mien.  But  the  wife  reproaches  her 
husband  for  sending  the  pilgrim  away  and  begs  him  to 
follow  and  bid  the  traveller  return  and  ‘ ‘ share  their  best.  ’ ’ 
He  shares  their  meal  of  millet,  the  poorest  food  of  the  poor, 
and  then  as  the  cold  increases  Tokiyori  sees  the  man  break 
up  and  cast  upon  the  hearth  three  little  trees  grown  in 
jars  which  only  rich  people  can  afford.  So  Tokiyori  asks 
why,  and  Sano  Genzaemon  tells  him  that  though  poor  he 
is  a samurai;  that  his  neighbours  took  his  lands  by  force 
while  he  was  fighting  in  the  shogun’s  wars,  that  he  still 


THE  THEATRE  IN  JAPAN 


141 


liad  his  sword  and  his  old  white  horse  and  is  still  ready  to 
fight  for  Tokiyori. 

The  shognn  returns  to  Kamakura  and  soon  a call  for  war 
goes  out.  The  army  assembles  and  Tokiyori  asks  if  Sano 
Genzaemon  is  there  and  if  he  is  to  bring  him  before  the 
court.  So  the  loyal  samurai  is  brought,  filled  with  amaze, 
to  find  the  brilliant  shogun  with  the  face  of  the  beggar 
priest.  Tokiyori  restores  him  his  stolen  lands  and  makes 
him  ruler  of  the  three  provinces  whose  names  recall  the 
three  trees  he  burned — a pine,  a plum  and  a cherry. 

As  unfolded  on  the  stage  it  differed  in  some  things  from 
my  version,  but  that  is  a small  matter  here. 

The  No  stage  is  simply  a bare  platform  raised  about 
four  feet  with  an  old  fantastic  pine  tree  painted  on  a gold 
ground  on  the  back  wall.  The  entrance  to  the  stage  is  by  a 
long  passage  on  the  spectators’  left.  It  crosses  the  theatre 
at  the  back  and  gives  on  the  stage  at  right  angles.  Over 
stage  and  passage  is  a plain  wooden  roof  with  a triangular 
prosecenium,  the  roof  supported  by  plain,  squared  posts. 
It  is  a theatre  inside  a theatre. 

The  floor  of  the  parterre,  as  customary  in  Japanese 
theatres,  is  slightly  inclined  forward  and  divided  into 
squares,  each  holding  four  persons,  who  sit  on  cushions  on 
the  floor.  There  is  a raised  platform  at  the  back  of  the 
house.  Here  I found  lodgment,  my  host  providing  me  and 
mine  with  chairs. 

On  the  stage  three  musicians  are  seated  at  the  back, 
two  who  play  drums  like  hour  glasses  which  they  strike 
•with  the  tips  of  their  fingers,  and  one  who  plays  a 
flute.  Four  singers  are  seated  at  the  right  of  the 
stage.  I may  say  that  all — players,  musicians,  actors — are 
male. 

It  begins  with  a cry  from  the  drummers  and  some  harsh 
notes  on  the  flute.  Then  the  wife  is  seen  entering.  She 
wears  a mask.  The  chorus  and  musicians  sing.  She 


142 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


enters  slowly,  slowly,  passes  down  stage  in  front  and 
crouches,  kneeling  on  one  knee. 

Just  as  slowly  enters  the  disguised  Tokiyori  in  a black 
conical  hat  and  a mass  of  dark  raiment.  He  makes  his  plea 
for  shelter.  The  wife  rises.  But  that  her  husband  is  away, 
she  would  ask  him  in.  Tokiyori  goes  upstage  and  kneels 
with  his  back  to  the  audience.  He  is  technically  out  of 
sight.  The  husband  enters.  Tokiyori  rises  and  again  asks 
shelter. 

I need  not  pursue  the  story,  but  it  proceeds  with  the 
greatest  deliberation.  Tokiyori  sings  in  a glorious  rich 
baritone.  The  music  on  the  whole  reminds  one  of  the 
Gregorian  chant,  which  is  doubtless  a relic  of  the  old  Pagan 
rites  that  were  the  common  heritage  of  Rome  and  Greece 
as  well  as  Asia.  Thus  do  art  outcomings  strangely  circle 
the  globe.  The  acting  is  in  the  main  dignified,  significant 
posturing. 

When  the  husband  sends  the  stranger  away,  the  wife 
raises  her  hand  to  the  level  of  the  eyes  of  her  mask,  which 
is  very  lifelike,  to  signify  unbidden  tears.  Later  when  the 
traveller  is  taken  in,  an  attendant  in  grey  places  a stand 
of  branches  covered  with  artificial  snow  in  front.  The 
husband  takes  out  a fan  and  flicks  the  ‘ ‘ snow  ’ ’ away.  An 
attendant  carries  it  off  in  a basket. 

In  the  last  portion,  when  Tokiyori  sends  for  his  poor 
benefactor,  he  is  dressed  in  magnificent  robes,  heavily 
embroidered  with  gold.  Two  retainers  represent  his  army. 
Yet  it  was  all  extremely  moving.  The  music,  so  strange 
at  first,  fits  into  the  scheme  of  things  and  the  emotions 
aroused  sink  deeply  in.  Many  in  the  audience  followed 
the  play  book  in  hand.  It  gives,  by  an  ingenious  arrange- 
ment, the  words  and  the  notation  in  upright  columns. 
They  gave  me  a copy. 

The  music,  which  is  sometimes  an  accompaniment  to 
the  dialogue,  but  generally  fills  up  a pause  in  the  acting, 


THE  THEATRE  IN  JAPAN 


143 


I found  most  distracting  at  first.  It  never  quite  lost  this 
chai’acter  for  me,  but  after  a while  one  noticed  it  less  and 
finally  it  at  times  seemed  to  support  the  current  emotion 
to  some  degree.  Then,  by  convention,  it  meant  to  a 
Japanese  audience  the  entrance  of  a new  emotion  or 
condition.  I learned  that  the  beating  of  a drum  always 
presaged  the  presence  of  beings  from  another  world  in  the 
ordinary  play.  In  the  No  the  hieratic  drum  tappers  play 
without  this  condition  in  the  action. 

One  curious  thing  entirely  strange  to  us  is  the  custom 
of  clapping  together  two  resonant  pieces  of  squared  wood 
as  an  accompaniment  to  the  exit  of  a character.  It  begins 
slowly  and  gradually  quickens  the  beats  until  it  becomes  a 
real  tattoo  when  the  person  is  off  the  stage.  Then  it 
stops.  It  signifies  departing  footsteps. 

Dancing  as  it  is  introduced  in  a play  may  be  various  and 
involve  numbers — as  in  a play  about  a historic  seafarer 
who  comes  back  to  his  village  to  reclaim  his  fiancee,  only 
to  find  that  she  has  become  the  concubine  of  the  local 
daimio  under  forced  circumstances.  In  the  course  of  a 
country  dance  he  looks  in  vain,  one  by  one,  into  the  faces 
of  the  dancers  to  discover  her. 

Solo  dancers  are  generally  male,  and  some  are  highly 
considered.  It  is  mainly  athletic,  much  of  it  depending 
on  the  ability  to  whirl  on  one  leg.  When  women  dance  it 
is  always  without  exposure  of  the  lower  limbs,  but  with 
sinuous  movement,  waving  of  the  arms  and  occasional 
stamping  with  the  heel. 

There  was  a No  farce  following  the  “Hachi-no-ki”  called 
“The  Six  Buddhas.”  It  was  sufficiently  amusing  in  a 
naive  way. 

A countryman  comes  to  town  wanting  to  buy  six  life-size 
statues  of  Buddha,  and  consequently  is  looking  for  an 
image-maker.  A rogue  overhears  him  and  says  he  is  the 
man.  It  will  take  a year,  he  says,  to  make  them,  and  the 


144 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


countryman  should  pay  some  money,  but  the  countryman 
wants  them  the  next  day.  The  rogue  then  calls  in  two 
confederates  and  they  arrange  to  exhibit  the  statues  as 
ordered,  three  in  one  temple  and  three  in  a temple  next 
door.  So  they  don  masks  and  robes  and  take  Buddhist 
emblems  and  pose  very  effectively. 

The  countryman  is  so  pleased  that  he  worships  the  three 
knaves,  and  then  in  the  next  temple  worships  them  again 
in  three  different  positions.  But  the  rustic  is  not  quite 
satisfied.  He  wants  some  alterations  and  becomes  harder 
and  harder  to  please.  This  keeps  the  rascals  on  the  jump, 
all  sorts  of  comic  postures  resulting,  until  at  last  the  in- 
tended victim  comes  on  them  struggling  to  get  into  place 
and  the  tables  are  turned. 

It  was  done  with  much  verve  and  created  lots  of 
laughter.  There  were  no  temples  shown  seenically,  the 
rascals  simply  posed  at  one  side  of  the  stage  and  then 
ran  to  the  turn  of  the  passage  for  the  second  grouping.  It 
was  said  to  be  a fair  type. 

One  could  see  why  the  No  is  loved  by  the  cultivated,  the 
poetical  minded,  the  enlightened  patriotic.  It  enshrines 
the  shining  deeds  and  virtues  of  their  race.  It  shows  the 
evil  spirits  of  old  times  and  how  virtue  rose  superior  to 
them.  One  could  see  also  why  it  is  not  popular  with  the 
masses.  They  want  something  that  moves  more  quickly; 
that  needs  no  glossary ; but  there  is  no  sign,  as  some  profess 
to  fear,  that  the  new  commercial  gospel  will  be  the  death  of 
the  old  art.  Not  at  all.  Look  at  Buyei  Nakano! 

The  dramas  in  the  popular  houses  playing  standard 
Japanese  pieces,  while  not  so  finely  written  as  the  No,  are 
really  of  respectable  literary  quality  and  move  faster,  yet 
even  that  is  much  slower  than  anything  we  have.  The 
pieces  are  spoken,  not  sung,  but  there  is  generally  playing 
and  singing  at  intervals  by  musicians  seated  in  an  elevated 
box  or  grille  at  the  side. 


THE  THEATRE  IN  JAPAN 


145 


The  actors  speak  in  a curious  resonant  declamatory  tone 
and  the  men  who  play  women’s  parts  talk  in  a strange 
treble.  The  plays  are  of  three  kinds  as  to  motives:  the 
samurai  plays  called  Jingi  displaying  benevolence  and 
righteousness  in  a wicked  world;  the  Koimujo  treating  of 
love  and  adversity,  and  the  Shakyo,  generally  religious  in 
motive,  combining  both  moods. 

The  theatres  themselves  are  most  interesting  to  the  for- 
eigner. The  scenery  is  often  good  with  well  built  up 
interiors  and  admirably  set  exteriors,  and  the  use  of  the 
circular  stage  for  setting  one  scene  while  playing  another 
is  frequent,  the  stage  simply  turning  for  a change  of 
scene.  The  lighting  is  electric,  and  just  a little  more  skill 
in  its  use  and  a few  scenic  devices  that  David  Belasco 
could  teach  them  and  the  whole  setting  would  be  fine 
indeed. 

I saw  many  pieces  wdth  great  pathos  in  them,  the 
audience  weeping  copiously,  and  much  fun  that  made  them 
laugh  uproariously.  There  is,  however,  little  applause. 
Sometimes  a voice  in  the  audience  is  heard  to  shout  out 
the  name  of  the  actor  on  the  stage  for  some  good  bit  of 
acting  or  impersonation.  For  the  rest  it  is  the  easiest 
natured  audience  in  the  world. 

The  plays  in  the  large  cities  generally  begin  at  two  or 
three  in  the  afternoon  and  last  until  about  half-past  ten, 
and  the  people  go  for  thorough  enjoyment.  The  parterre 
holds  from  forty  to  a hundred  square  boxes  with  low 
divisions  between  them  and  as  many  as  six  persons  may 
squeeze  in,  squatting  on  cushions  and  eating,  drinking, 
smoking  or  even  sleeping  through  the  play.  At  the  excit- 
ing moments  the  sleepers  are  wakened  up.  The  whole 
family  is  there.  The  mother  brings  the  infant  at  her  breast 
and  nourishes  it  discreetly  at  intervals. 

There  is  an  hour’s  entr’acte  especially  for  dinner,  which 
in  most  theatres  is  eaten  with  great  jollity  in  the  house, 


146 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


servants  running  to  and  fro  with  trays  of  food  ordered  in 
advance  or  with  pots  of  green  tea  drunk  out  of  little  cups. 
There  is  no  misbehaviour  on  the  stage  or  off.  It  is  just  a 
big  family  party,  but  looked  at  from  above,  where  our 
group  could  generally  be  supplied  with  chairs,  the  scene 
below  was  alwaj'^s  diverting. 

At  the  Imperial  Theatre,  Tokyo,  a large,  handsome, 
modern  theatre,  the  seating  is  entirely  European ; no  eating 
is  allowed  in  the  auditorium,  but  there  are  six  large  dining 
rooms,  in  one  of  which  a “Western”  meal  is  served  in  a 
large  cunningly  divided  plate  with  knife  and  fork,  while 
in  another  a bento,  or  Japanese  meal  in  a lacquered  box 
with  chopsticks,  is  the  rule;  others  serving  tea  and  soft 
drinks,  even  beer,  I believe,  to  the  many  who  bring  their 
meals  with  them.  It  does  a large  business  and  is  experi- 
mentally progressive. 

The  company  is  of  the  choicest  and  there  are  several 
clever  young  women.  Mr.  Yamamoto,  the  wideawake 
manager,  travelled  to  Europe  every  year  before  the  war 
over  the  Siberian  route,  going  back  by  way  of  Moscow, 
Berlin,  Vienna,  Paris  and  London  in  search  of  suitable, 
adaptable  novelties.  He  will  not  go  this  year,  as  all 
Europe  is  playing  the  same  piece — a war  play.  He  gen- 
erally gives  four  pieces  every  day,  changing  the  program 
every  twenty-five  days,  which  is  about  the  length  of  his 
clientele. 

The  experiment  is  watched  with  great  concern  by  the 
purely  native  theatres  and  already  a syndicate  is  forming 
to  take  over  and  unify  the  management  and  reduce  running 
expenses  in  the  principal  native  theatres  of  Tokyo,  Kobe, 
Kyoto  and  Osaka.  Some  of  the  native  actors  are  really 
excellent  artists. 

Of  native  plays — dating  mostly  from  the  eighteenth 
and  early  nineteenth  centuries — I saw  many  that  were 
worth  a thought.  “A  Woman’s  Revenge”  was  curious  in 


THE  THEATRE  IN  JAPAN 


147 


that  a woman,  an  attendant,  was  the  central  character  and 
that  she  had  to  fight  several  battles  or  duels,  one  with 
another  woman.  It  stands  for  quite  a class  of  plays.  The 
most  popular  piece  was  an  old  one  in  one  act,  “The  Flight 
of  the  Prince,”  let  us  call  it,  for  his  name  is  unfortunate 
when  spelled  out  in  English.  It  is,  in  point  of  time,  related 
to  the  most  tragic  period  of  Japanese  history,  but  is 
entirely  bright  itself. 

The  young  Prince,  with  five  devoted  followers,  after  his 
defeat  in  battle  is  trying  to  reach  a place  of  safety.  His 
brother  is  anxious  to  get  him  in  his  hands  and  has  given 
orders  that  he  shall  be  arrested  if  he  crosses  the  barriers 
through  which  all  travellers  must  enter  his  dominions ; all 
travellers  must  account  for  themselves.  The  keeper  of  the 
barrier  stops  them.  He  is  a pompous  official  wearing 
trousers  about  six  feet  long,  trailing  out  at  least  a yard 
behind — a gentle  device  of  the  daimios  of  the  period  to 
prevent  responsible  retainers  from  travelling  far  from  their 
posts  with  any  comfort. 

In  this  dilemma  Benkei,  one  of  the  Prince’s  followers, 
comes  forward  and  says  they  are  a party  of  travelling 
bonzes.  The  keeper  doubts,  but  Benkei  recalls  enough  of 
the  Buddhist  ritual  to  go  through  a “stunt”  of  praying 
and  posturing.  And  still  the  keeper  doubts.  Benkei,  at 
his  wits’  end,  tells  the  most  extraordinary  stories  and 
always  acts  up  to  them,  even  going  to  the  extreme  of 
striking  the  young  Prince  with  his  staff  to  show  that  he 
is  an  unimportant  member  of  the  band. 

The  part  involves  great  strutting,  stamping  and  spread- 
ing of  the  kind  used  by  the  wrestlers,  much  fencing  and 
lots  of  vim.  He  carries  the  whole  piece  on  his  shoulders. 
At  length  the  keeper  secretly  concludes  that  the  young  man 
really  is  the  Prince,  but  in  view  of  the  great  devotion  and 
wit  of  his  follower  allows  the  party  to  pass.  Several 
theatres  put  it  on  while  I was  in  Tokyo  and  there  was 


148 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


great  competition,  but  between  Koshiro  at  the  Imperial 
and  Unzaemon  at  the  Kabuki  honours  were  even. 

Plays  in  which  the  unfortunate  protagonists  are  driven 
to  suicide  are  numerous.  It  is  one  of  the  most  notable 
differences  observable  between  Japanese  and  Western 
ideas,  this  favouring  view  of  suicide  as  a way  out  of  trouble, 
but  the  greatest  difference  is  in  the  outward  manifestations 
of  affection.  The  kiss,  the  hug,  the  hand  touch  almost 
between  lovers  would  be  held  frightfully  immodest  on  the 
stage,  as  in  real  life.  I believe  also  that  the  length  of  the 
speeches  and  the  duration  of  conversations  owe  a great  deal 
to  the  fact  that  when  people  meet  in  a house  they  squat  on 
the  floor,  as  in  real  life. 

They  do  not,  however,  neglect  or  ignore  the  natural 
“business”  of  the  home  or  palace  or  whatever  it  may  be 
on  that  account.  The  serving  of  tea,  the  lighting  of  little 
three-puff  pipes,  the  reading  of  books,  the  lighting  of  lan- 
terns, the  changing  of  garments,  the  inner  affairs  of  the 
household  in  a word,  proceed  interestingly  and  help  to 
break  the  monotony  of  the  conversation,  giving  great 
reality  to  the  scenes.  This  applies  more  especially  to 
the  “modern”  plays,  which  are  in  a great  class  by 
themselves. 

I saw  several  of  these  and  found  them  very  interesting 
as  studies  of  character  and  manners.  Sometimes  they  run 
all  the  afternoon  and  evening,  and  really  keep  moving  all 
the  time,  travelling  outside  the  main  story  into  bypaths 
of  episode  and  bringing  forward  subordinate  characters 
with  the  greatest  freedom.  One  called  ‘ ‘ The  Step  Mother  ’ ’ 
at  the  Engadi  Theatre,  a second-rate  house,  introduced  a 
wife  who  leaves  her  husband  and  goes  to  America,  where 
she  marries  a man  who  dies  and  leaves  her  a snug  fortune 
of  30,000,000  yen.  0 shade  of  Triplet!  On  her  return 
to  Japan  dressed  stodgily  in  rich  “American”  clothes  she 
makes  trouble  for  her  little  son  and  the  second  wife  of 


1.  SCKXE  AT  NO  DRAMA  “HACHI  NO  KI” 

2.  AUDIENCE  AT  NO  DRAMA 


) 


1 


1.  MR.  EAIKO,  AS  THE  WIFE,  IN  THE  “ADVENTUROUS  MILLIONAIRE." 

2.  MR.  KOSHIRO,  A FAMOUS  ACTOR,  IN  A FAVOURITE  PART 

3.  M.R.  UZDAEMON,  AS  BENKEI,  IN  “THE  PRINCe’s  FLIGHT" 

4.  MR.  A.  KIZUKI  (.man)  AND  .MR.  KITAMURA  (w'OMAN)  IN  A MODERN  PIECE 


I 


1 


THE  THEATRE  IN  JAPAN  149 

her  former  husband.  The  latter  is  in  jail  for  stealing  to 
pay  for  her  extravagance  before  she  left  him. 

With  her  money  she  carries  all  before  her,  but  through 
the  agency  of  a Japanese  variant  of  the  “Beloved  Vaga- 
bond, ’ ’ who  does  good  in  an  unconventional  way  and  talks 
life  philosophy  by  the  yard,  she  is  induced  to  give  up  her 
plans  for  revenge  and  goes,  lea\dng  her  husband,  now  re- 
leased from  jail,  in  peace  with  her  successor  and  putting 
her  son  in  her  will  as  her  sole  legatee.  The  audience 
devoured  the  incidents  and  gloated  over  wrong  under- 
mined and  virtue  coming  to  its  own,  just  like  our  own 
melodrama  patrons. 

A much  better  play,  strictly  of  today,  called  ‘ ‘ One  Sided 
Love,”  but  which  might  be  better  named  “The  Family 
Busybody,”  which  I saw  in  the  Nani-wa-sa,  at  Osaka,  was 
in  ten  acts.  We  missed  the  first  hour  of  it,  and  it  still 
seemed  at  the  beginning  when  we  entered.  It  sets  forth 
the  results  flowing  from  the  well-meant  but  injudicious 
meddling  and  tattling  of  a woman — an  old  maid — all  sup- 
posedly in  the  interest  of  the  “honour  of  the  family.” 

It  had  been  played  eight  times  already  to  crowded  houses 
and  a second  company  was  playing  it  at  Kobe.  How  it  did 
travel  afield  during  the  five  hours  of  solid  playing,  ignoring 
the  entr’actes!  It  was,  as  I have  said,  a family  story  that 
our  stage  would  have  treated  easily  in  three  acts,  but  such 
little  incidents  as  the  finish  of  a marathon  race,  with  aU 
the  accessories,  the  whole  activities  of  a flower  market, 
excursions  into  the  country  with  new  sets  of  people  and 
so  on  and  so  on  were  presented.  The  audience  swallowed 
it  all  with  gusto  and  seemed  to  like  the  divagations  as  well 
as  the  main  theme. 

The  latter  lay  in  the  circle  of  a Japanese  gentleman’s 
home — the  gentleman  a wonderfully  fine  character  type,  a 
scholar,  a gentleman  upright,  just  and  generous,  with  the 
great  quality  of  being  able  to  close  his  eyes  to  shortcomings 


150 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


in  others  and  to  have  a mind  above  small  suspicions. 
Played  with  great  reserve  and  distinction  by  Mr.  Takata, 
now,  alas,  gone  to  his  account,  it  impressed  me  greatly. 
The  other  parts  were  all  well  played,  a couple  of  rascally 
“promoters”  particularly  so,  and  furnished  a gamut  of 
Japanese  life  in  town  and  country  with  a naturalness  and 
realism  worthy  of  all  praise. 

The  gentleman  is  made  Minister  of  Justice  toward  the 
end  of  the  play  and  has  to  deal  with  alleged  malefactions 
in  the  family.  He  emerges  with  honour  unimpaired,  the 
“good  people”  satisfactorily  brought  to  good  ends  and  the 
bad  ones  brought  to  book,  the  reserved  gentleman  quietly 
lighting  a cigarette  as  the  curtain  falls. 

The  Japanese  dramatist  has,  therefore,  quite  a task  in 
writing  a play  and  the  manager  in  putting  it  on.  What 
modifications  time  will  bring  it  is  hard  to  say,  but  ac- 
ceptance of  Europe’s  concentrated  story  by  the  public 
seems  far  off.  Shakespeare  has  been  played  here  with  in- 
different success.  A Japanese  version  of  Charles  Klein’s 
“Music  Master”  was  tried  here  last  year,  and,  strangely 
enough,  did  not  do  well.  Ibsen’s  “A  Doll’s  House”  was 
better  liked. 

One  thing  will  strike  everybody  who  looks  into  the 
“theatre”  in  Japan,  however  casually,  namely,  that  the 
story  of  the  “Forty-seven  Ronins”  has  a greater  hold  on 
Japanese  imagination  than  any  other  in  the  whole  range  of 
their  literature.  It  appears  to  me  to  signify  that  the 
highest  human  quality  in  Japanese  eyes  is  self-sacrifice, 
and  if  it  be  made  in  the  line  of  ideal  devotion  it  may  com- 
bine with  any  act,  almost  any  crime,  and  still  be  worthy  of 
the  highest  honour. 

It  should  be  premised  that  the  episode  is  historic  and  on 
that  side  has  a painstaking,  minute  bibliography  of  large 
dimensions,  while  its  literature  in  verse,  prose  and  drama 
is  multitudinous  on  the  romantic  or  fictitious  side.  It 


THE  THEATRE  IN  JAPAN 


151 


occurred  some  two  centuries  ago  and,  therefore,  in  the  full 
of  the  Tokugawa  shogunate  whereunder  feudal  rule  had 
become  most  formidable  and  minutely  systematized,  and 
loyalty  and  devotion  to  the  daimio  and  the  clan  was  the 
religion  almost  of  the  samurai  or  knightly  fighting  men, 
although  the  common  people  who  bore  the  burden  of  it 
all  were  practically  unconsidered. 

It  occurred  too,  after  nearly  a century  of  that  nationwide 
peace  which  lyeyasu  brought,  and  which  was  to  endure 
unbroken  for  two  centuries  more.  The  shoguns  held  their 
court  at  Yedo  (now  Tokyo)  and  a certain  Bad  Lord  held 
high  place  therein,  which  he  managed  to  his  gain  by  heavy 
blackmail  on  the  visiting  daimios  from  other  provinces. 
They  were  all  obliged  to  live  alternate  years  at  the  court 
for  many  astute  reasons,  among  them  to  keep  the  nobles  in 
touch  with  the  shogun,  and  to  make  them  spend  their 
income  freely  and  in  the  right  quarter. 

A certain  Lord  Asano,  maddened  by  the  Bad  Lord’s 
exactions,  drew  his  sword  on  the  latter,  wounded  him,  but, 
interfered  wdth  by  a friend,  failed  to  kill  him.  To  draw 
weapon  in  the  court  precinct  and  on  a great  official  meant 
death  doubly.  Asano  went  off  and  committed  harakiri. 
His  followers  fell  away,  but  one  of  them  had  sworn  revenge 
and  he  collected  forty-six  of  his  fellow-retainers  who  joined 
him  in  his  deadly  cult. 

The  Bad  Lord  was  rich  and  powerful  and  they  were  poor. 
For  a whole  year  they  travelled  the  country,  supporting 
themselves  how  they  might,  became  ronins  or  wandering 
masterless  men.  One  night  of  cold  and  snow  they 
assembled  around  the  house  of  the  Bad  Lord,  broke  in 
and  slew  him  and  then  in  procession  marched  to  Yedo 
carrying  the  Bad  Lord’s  head,  washed  it  in  a well  by  a 
little  temple  and  laid  it  with  tears  on  their  master’s — 
the  Lord  Asano ’s  tomb. 

Seized  by  the  authorities  they  were  condemned  to  death, 


152 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


but  in  view  of  their  ingenuity  and  devotion  were  permitted 
to  put  an  end  to  themselves.  They  were  handed  over  in 
batches  to  lords  of  the  court,  who  feasted  them  for  a couple 
of  days  and  on  the  appointed  morning  each  died  by  his 
own  hand.  They  ranged  in  age  from  sixteen  to  seventy- 
two  and  their  burial  place  is  the  most  popular  shrine  in 
Japan,  incense  ever  smoking  on  their  graves. 

There  are  twelve  plays  of  some  ten  acts  each  dealing  with 
the  central  episode,  and  pieces  innumerable  dealing  with 
the  adventures  of  the  separate  ronins.  It  permeates  the 
“movies”  and  I saw  one  celebrating  the  life  of  one  of  the 
Bad  Lord’s  retainers,  ending  in  his  butchery  after  a thrill- 
ing fight  in  which  a seventh  assailant  did  for  him  while 
he  was  bloodily  entertaining  the  other  six. 

In  the  older  plays  ghosts,  apparitions,  reappearances 
after  a thousand  years  of  entombment  are  common. 
Hamlet’s  royal  father,  Richard  Ill’s  many  ghostly  victims, 
Macbeth’s  immaterial  predecessor  and  his  witches  on  a 
“blasted  heath,”  with  Bottom  the  weaver’s  sprites  and 
fairies,  would  be  quite  at  home  in  Japan. 

Of  lighter  plays  there  are  many  varieties,  but  none  of 
great  consequence  or  merit.  They  produce  laughter 
through  the  comic  misfortunes  of  the  characters  as  with 
us.  Sometimes  there  are  spectacular  pieces,  generally  more 
gaudy  and  tawdry  than  impressive. 

The  old  rule  that  male  actors  should  take  women ’s  parts 
still  holds  largely  good.  Many  such  are  great  favourites 
and  really  do  characterize  with  great  skill.  They  are  not 
youths,  but  grown  men.  A peculiar  effeminacy  becomes 
their  constant  characteristic.  I visited  one  of  the  best  of 
them  in  his  dressing  room.  He  received  our  little  party 
with  a gentle  grave  urbanity  that  had  something  of  the 
finely  feminine  about  it.  He  sat  by  the  hibachi  smoking  a 
cigarette  and  rose  to  receive  us.  He  liked  his  work,  he 
said,  and  had  no  ambition  to  play  man,  but  assuredly  he 


THE  THEATRE  IN  JAPAN 


153 


would  not  like  to  be  taken  for  a woman  off  the  stage.  His 
manager  said  he  was  really  a manly  chap.  His  father  had 
been  a player  of  distinction. 

Still,  some  of  the  theati’es,  notably  the  Imperial,  were 
encouraging  women  to  play  female  parts,  and  with  some 
success. 

It  is  noticeable  that  lately  the  purely  modern  plays  have 
not  been  the  favourites  they  were  at  the  start.  Natural- 
ness does  not  appeal  very  strongly  yet.  The  old  strut,  the 
old  declamation  still  rule  the  roost  in  popularity. 

I have  referred  in  the  first  chapter  to  an  outburst  of 
emotion  on  the  part  of  an  audience  in  a marionette  theatre 
at  Osaka  to  show  that  a Japanese  can  weep.  It  was  surely 
a moving  story,  and  the  episode  of  the  sudden  spring  of  the 
mother  clutching  to  her  bosom  the  body  of  her  babe  which 
she  had  just  allowed  to  be  murdered  without  a protest 
before  her  eyes  in  order  to  protect  from  murder  the  babe 
of  her  daimio  lord,  would  have  won  a tribute  of  convulsive 
grief  on  any  stage.  The  success  of  the  hit  of  acting  with 
lifelike  dolls  about  one-third  life-size  shows  to  what  limits 
the  convention  of  the  stage  can  be  pushed.  Not  only  were 
they  speechless  dolls,  operated  on  a small  waist-high  shelf 
or  stage,  but  each  doll  was  actuated  by  a separate  man  who 
towered  above  it  standing  in  plain  sight,  behind  the  raised 
shelf,  one  hand  holding  the  doll  upright  and  the  other 
inserted  in  the  back  of  the  doll  to  manipulate  the  hidden 
strings  which  moved  the  arms  and  legs  and  took  charge  of 
the  flexures  of  the  body.  A feature  of  these  marionette 
shows  is  that  the  story  is  intoned  in  recitative  by  a singer 
seated  in  the  gallery  with  a group  of  musicians  using 
samisen,  drum  and  flute.  The  man  who  sang  that  day  had 
a rich  warm  baritone,  and  he  enunciated  with  great  pre- 
cision and  clearness.  Sometimes  it  is  narrative,  sometimes 
dialogue  that  he  intones.  He  is  listened  to  with  something 
approaching  reverence.  The  theatre,  not  a very  large  one 


154 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


it  is  true,  was  packed  that  day,  and  the  performance  was 
as  smooth  as  the  marionettes  were  wonderful. 

Most  Americans  who  study  the  theatre  are  familiar  with 
the  conventions  of  the  Chinese  stage.  A general  struts 
around  the  four  sides  of  a table  chanting  lustily,  meaning 
that  he  has  journeyed  four  hundred  miles.  A character 
about  to  cast  himself  over  the  edge  of  a clilf  jumps  about 
six  inches  from  the  floor  and  walks  off  leisurely.  He  is 
dead  and  the  Chinamen  know  it.  A general  besieges  a city. 
The  chief  citizen  places  a screen  behind  which  is  a stool 
and  from  that  lofty  eminence  he  parleys  about  surrender 
over  the  screen  with  the  general  who  is  standing  on  the 
ground.  And  so  on.  On  the  Japanese  stage  the  “in- 
visibles” are  a curious  feature.  Generally  dressed  in 
black,  often  with  a black  veil  or  a cape  over  the  face,  one 
moves  obsequiously  over  the  stage  through  all  phases  of 
the  action,  placing  stools  on  which  a gorgeously  clad  actor 
may  sit  without  appearing  to  do  so,  arranging  the  folds  of 
elaborate  garments,  moving  furniture,  and  removing  the 
stool  when  it  was  necessary  for  the  gorgeous  one  to  walk 
away.  At  first  he  was  to  me  an  unmitigated  nuisance 
whom  I longed  to  destroy,  but  gradually  I learned  to 
tolerate  him  and  at  length  wholly  ignored  him. 

Then  in  the  way  of  theatrical  entertainments  are  the 
occasional  massing  of  the  geishas  for  exhibition  dances. 
Well,  not  now.  Those  interesting  folk  are  worth  a chapter 
to  themselves. 


THE  THEATRE  IN  JAPAN 


155 


THE  SOUL  OF  NIPPON* 

A Mediaeval  Legend  of  Japan. 

(Reprinted  from  the  Atlantic  Monthly.) 

At  winter  dusk  upon  the  hillside  cold, 

While  shivering  trees  made  moan, 

Went  Hojo  Tokiyori  all  alone. 

Free  of  his  Regent  robes  and  zone  of  gold. 

Free  of  all  trappings  of  imperial  state. 

Plain  garbed  as  Buddhist  priest,  he  bent  his  head 
Before  the  icy  winds  that  beat 
Upon  him  as  he  upwards  strode. 

Rough  and  stony  was  the  road; 

Across  the  rim  of  waters  Fuji’s  crest 
Rose  dim  and  blue  against  the  paling  West. 

Bare  lay  the  frosted  valley  at  his  feet. 

And  faint  and  far  upon  the  plain  below, 

The  lights  of  Kamakura  shed  their  glow. 

He  turned  and  gazed  and  grimly  said, — 

“No  royal  palace  is  the  home  of  truth, 

So  now  I dare  what  every  mortal  fears — 

The  judgment  of  a man  by  his  compeers — 

The  test  that  men  still  flinch  from  till  they  die. 

For  if  I’d  still  hold  rule  supreme,  be  great 
Of  deed  and  mind. 

Myself  must  learn  what  man  ’t  is  guards  my  gate; 

Must  learn  what  man  am  I. 

And  haply  in  the  hollows  of  the  wind. 

The  mighty  soul  of  Nippon  I shall  find.” 

* Tokiyori  was  a Shikkin,  or  Regent,  of  the  Hojo  family,  real 
rulers  of  Japan  under  the  sacred  but  secluded  and  powerless  Mikados. 
They  flourished  in  the  thirteenth  century  a.d.  The  Regent  was 
Shogun,  or  chief  general,  as  well,  unless  he  delegated  that  power. 


156 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


Closer  he  drew  his  robe  of  ashen  grey, 

And  faced  once  more  the  darkening,  upward  way. 
On,  on  he  trod  ’neath  cloud-veiled  stars  till  dawn, 
His  spirit  to  the  soul’s  high  levels  drawn, 

And  begged  for  food  or  sleeping  place 
From  poor  and  rich,  from  good  and  base. 

And  ever  learned  he  more  from  friend  and  foe 
The  subtle  things  that  dynasts  seek  to  know 
Of  wit  or  warning  against  overthrow. 

Often  in  lordly  hall  or  peasant’s  cot. 

In  words  of  praise  or  slight. 

With  deepened  shadows  or  excess  of  light. 

Saw  his  own  picture  drawn,  and  knew  it  not. 

“Yea,  words  are  plenty:  wisdom  rare,”  said  he. 
“My  name  of  common  tongues  the  sport. 

The  shuttlecock  of  good  and  ill  report; 

Yet  in  all  no  sunrise-ray  there  be. 

O Soul  of  Nippon,  speak  thou  unto  me !” 

From  fruitless  searchings  by  the  Eastern  strands, 
Through  winter  days,'  and  toiling  sore. 

Back  by  Shinano’s  wild  volcanic  lands 
The  weary  Tokiyori  bore. 

Until  in  Kozeki  lost  one  eve  of  storm. 

It  seemed  he  could  no  farther  go. 

The  night  had  fall’n,  and  with  it  came  the  snow, 
In  blinding  flakes  and  dancing  whirls  of  white. 

And  numb  his  hands  and  feet  began  to  grow. 
When,  as  through  tattered  shojis,  came  a gleam — 
Dim  as  a blurred  star  in  a dream — 

And  groping  toward  it  painfully. 

He  paused,  and  cried,  “Pray  shelter  me.” 

Back  slid  the  shoji,  and  a gaunt  old  man 
Came  out,  and  looked  upon  the  farer’s  face. 

His  smile  of  welcome  died,  and  in  its  place 
Came  awe  and  shame;  then,  halting,  he  began, — 


THE  THEATRE  IN  JAPAN 


157 


“Most  reverend — and  noble — we  are  poor; 

A famine-hut  that  dogs  would  not  endure. 
Cross  yonder  hill,  and  richer  folk  you’ll  find.” 


And  Tokiyori  silent  faced  the  wind. 


Now  came  the  aged  goodwife  forth, 

Her  pity  rising  more  and  more. 

“Sano  Ganzaimon,”  said  she,  “where’s  the  worth 
Of  being  born  a samurai. 

Thus  to  debase  the  honour  of  your  door? 

On  night  like  this  to  turn  a man  away 
When  we  should  open  to  a beast?” 

“Before  him,  wife,  a lordlike  priest,” 

Old  Sano  muttered,  “we  should  die  of  shame.” 


“Were  he  the  Regent,”  cried  the  dame, 

“You  should  not  let  him  go 
To  die  amid  the  wind  and  snow. 

Who  knows  but  this  our  life  of  bitter  need 
Comes  from  God’s  finger,  pointing  to  no  deed 
Of  godlike  charity  to  light  our  path? 

We  little  have:  the  strange  priest  nothing  hath. 
Run : bid  him  back,  my  lord,  to  warmth  and  rest. 
Say : ‘Come,  most  reverend,  we’ll  share  our  best !’  ” 


Within  the  hut  around  the  little  fire. 

Sat  Tokiyori  with  the  man  and  wife. 

Sharing  their  scanty  millet  dish. 

And,  ever  as  the  embers  ’gan  expire, 

A httle  tree  flung  on  them  gave  them  life — 
Three  little  trees  with  large  and  fair  good-wish. 


First  ’twas  a dwarfish  pine  tree  long  of  days. 
And  next  a tiny  plum  tree  kings  would  praise, 
And  last  a dainty  cherry  fed  the  blaze. 


158 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


Said  Tokiyori,  “You  are  poor  indeed, 

Yet  you  are  burning  trees  you’ve  grown  in  jars, 
Which  only  rich  ones  can  afford.” 

And  Sano,  stooping  still  the  flames  to  feed, 

Made  answer  smiling,  “Truly,  Reverend  lord. 

Not  with  my  low  estate  do  they  accord: 

But  in  these  scarecrow  tatters  you  behold 
One  brave  among  the  samurai  of  old, 

And  one  from  whom,  while  in  the  Shogun’s  wars. 
His  tyrant  neighbours  took  his  lands  by  force. 

And  left  him  but  this  hut,  his  battle-horse. 

And  these  three  little  trees. 

Yet  grieve  not,  priest,  their  tender  beauty  fled. 

For  where  can  costly  wood  the  better  burn 
Than  on  the  hearth  where  warms  man’s  love  for  man  f 
And  flower  and  leaf  return  to  God  the  best 
In  lighting  up  the  welcome  of  a guest; 

Yea,  since  it  is  the  gift  of  God  to  live. 

The  greatest  joy  in  living  is  to  give. 


“The  greatest  joy  is  giving,”  Tokiyori  said. 
“And  love  is  giving  all,”  said  Sano’s  dame. 


“Love,”  smiled  old  Sano,  “is  life’s  fire  and  flame. 
And  evermore  my  heart  grows  warm  and  light 
That  when  I bade  you  forth  in  wind  and  snow. 

My  goodwife  breathed  the  voice  of  Bushido, 

That  teaches  when  a stranger ’s  at  the  door 
The  face  that  looks  thereout  should  aye  be  bright. 
Nor  poor  need  be  the  welcome  of  the  poor. 

‘Were  he  the  Regent,  take  him  in,’  she  cried.” 

“And  if  I were?”  asked  Tokiyori  low. 

“Ah,  for  the  Shogun,”  Sano  cried  aloud, 

“I  hold  my  life  when  all  is  lost  beside. 

My  old  white  horse  still  lives  to  bear  me  proud 


THE  THEATRE  IN  JAPAN 


159 


To  battle  at  my  lord  the  Shogun’s  call. 

My  hvo-hand  sword,  tho’  rusty,  hangs  him  there, 
Ready  when  forth  my  horse  and  I shall  fare 
For  Tokiyori,  greatest  lord  of  all.” 


And  Tokiyori  smiled : — “Lo,  now  I know.” 

From  Kamakura  soon  came  call  to  war. 

The  war-drums  rattling  loud  through  all  the  ways. 
And  warriors  trooped  from  near  and  far — 
Veterans  many  from  old  fields  hard-won. 

And  youths  who  yet  no  shining  deed  had  done. 
And  all  in  clanking  panoply  of  fight. 

From  cot  and  castle,  and  from  field  and  town. 

Came  lightfoot  o’er  the  hills  before  the  night. 

And  poured  through  all  the  valleys  to  the  plain, 
With  cries  and  cheers. 

Till  morning  flared  its  red-gold  arrows  down 
Upon  a hundred  thousand  swaying  spears. 

Sat  Tokiyori  on  his  battlesteed, 

His  great  soul  shining  in  his  searching  eyes. 

About  him  daimios,  armed  and  spurred, 

And  shomios  ready  or  to  strike  or  bleed. 

Or  challenge  death  in  any  noble  guise. 

All  watchful  waiting  for  his  word. 


Then,  as  the  silent  waters  break 

With  sudden  windstroke  into  weltering  sound. 

He  spake: — 

“Now  know  I Nippon  hath  but  one  great  soul. 

That  soul  hath  answered  to  its  Shogun’s  call. 

And  whither  hence  the  tide  of  war  shall  roll, 
Before  it  every  foe  must  fall. 

Long  did  I seek  what  now  I know. 

It  came  to  me  mid  wind  and  snow. 

And  in  this  host  the  proof  shall  stand  forth  clear: — 


160 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


A gaunt  old  man  upon  an  old  white  horse, 

His  sword  two-handed,  and  his  eyes  like  flame, 

His  armour  rusty  and  his  garments  coarse, — 

Sano  Ganzaimon  is  his  name: 

Find  him,  and  bring  him  here.” 

Low,  from  far  off,  amid  the  silent  host, 

Came  Sano  with  his  tottering  beast, 

His  heart  scarce  beating,  eyes  in  wonder  lost. 

The  old  horse  trailing  at  his  bridle-rein. 

“Salute  the  Shogun  : bow !”  But  Sano  muttered  fain, — 
“This  is  no  Shogun,  but  a reverend  priest.” 

“Nay,  soul  of  Nippon,”  answered  Tokiyori  low, 

“You  sheltered  me  from  wind  and  snow. 

For  me  you  burned  your  costly  trees  in  jars. 

And  pledged  your  life  unto  the  Shogun’s  wars. 

’Twas  Tokiyori  warmed  him  in  your  room. 

And  saw  the  soul  of  Nippon  in  your  eyes. 

Your  stolen  lands  I solemnly  restore. 

And  ere  we  march,  I give  to  you  a prize : — 

Reign  lord  of  Sakurai  where  cherries  bloom, 

Of  Matsuida  where  the  pine  tree  grows. 

And  fair  Umeda  where  the  plum  tree  blows.” 

“Sano  Meditashi!”  Hark,  a storm  of  cheers. 

“Hojo,  banzai!  live,  lord,  ten  thousand  years.” 

And  kneeling  spellbound,  answering  through  tears 
That  still  would  flow. 

Old  Sano  faltering  said, — 

“Great  fighting  lord,  until  this  old  grey  head 
Is  laid  in  earth,  command  my  arm,  my  life. 

And  never  shall  I swerve. 

I did  but  what  is  law  of  Bushido — 

To  give,  to  love,  to  serve. 

Praised  be  the  Shogun! — honoured,  too,  my  wife!” 

And  Tokiyori  rode  to  battle  with  a smile. 


CHAPTER  XII 


THE  FINE  ARTS  IN  JAPAN 


An  artist  people — The  Oriental  tone — Lafcadio  Hearn’s  percep- 
tion— The  ancient  Buddhist  bronzes — Architectural  schools — 
Historic  schools  of  painting — The  Ukiyoye — Boston’s  greed 
and  luck — Art  education  today — The  ancient  style  of  Sansui 
most  popular  among  professors — A “Western”  school — A 
great  master  painter  the  crying  want — Photographic  sculpture 
— Wonders  in  porcelain  and  cloisonne — Embroidery  in  excelsis 
— A hint  to  our  art-gallery  providers. 

It  is  the  sense  of  a new  art-world  that  at  the  first  glance 
of  Japan  really  differentiates  it  from  the  lands  of  our 
West — from  America,  from  Europe. 

Artistry  runs  like  a silver  thread  through  the  whole  life 
of  Japan,  making  patterns  and  pictures  entirely  new  to  us. 
The  land  itself  does  not  differ  much  in  climate  or  topog- 
raphy or  growth  of  plants  and  trees  from  the  “Western” 
lands.  We  do  find  an  unusual  extent  and  variety  of  sharp 
peaks  rising  from  narrow  valleys.  They  are  volcanic  and 
as  later  than  our  hills  and  mountains  show  less  erosion: 
that  is  all.  Yet  the  difference  of  the  face  of  the  country 
as  man  has  wrought  his  changes  there  is  very  marked.  In 
these  changes  lies  most  of  the  difference,  and  it  all  expresses 
human  art — man  reaching  for  order  and  the  beautiful. 

The  shapes  of  the  low  wooden  houses  with  their  curving 
roofs,  wide  eaves  and  heavy  rooftrees ; the  strangely  colour- 
ful streets,  the  banneret  signs  in  strange  characters;  at 
night  the  effect  of  strings  of  vari-coloured  paper  lanterns ; 
the  outlines  and  tints  of  the  people’s  costumes,  the  land- 

161 


162 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


scape  feature  of  their  gardens,  all  strike  the  note  of  the 
Orient,  and  say  this  is  something  very  different  from  our 
soberer  Occident.  And  in  every  phase  it  is  the  outcome  of 
art,  art  slowly  evolved  and  pervasive  and  fascinating  to 
our  senses. 

To  be  sure  China  gives  you  such  a thrill  if  you  see  it 
first.  India  has  its  rich  Oriental  flavour  and  colour. 
Persia  has  its  warm  tone  of  the  East,  but  Japan  has  its 
own  strongly  developed  face,  form  and  hue  with  marked 
divergence  from  all  the  other  lands  of  Asia.  That  the 
inhabitants  of  its  islands  derive  however  remotely  from 
those  of  the  nearby  continent,  should  prepare  one  for  an 
art  likeness.  Keep  that  in  mind;  credit  them  with  the 
excellence  of  their  departures  from  the  primitive  models, 
and  you  will  be  in  the  way  of  understanding  in  a high 
degree,  and  doing  justice  to  a people,  votaries  of  art  every 
man,  woman  and  child.  Japan,  in  fine,  is  artistic  through 
and  through. 

We  are  concerned  here  in  something  narrower  than  the 
artist  thought  and  method  of  an  entire  people.  Indeed 
my  theme  is  to  look  in  on  what  we  call  the  Fine  Arts  as 
they  flourish  and  are  manifest  in  Japan  of  today. 

Fine  art  in  Japan  soon  bears  in  upon  the  observant 
traveller  as  something  to  be  considered  on  broader  lines 
than  in  Europe.  It  cannot,  you  early  note,  be  limited  to 
our  ordinary  conception  of  a picture  or  a statue,  to  paint- 
ing and  sculpture,  but  it  must  include  beauty  of  form  and 
execution  in  a dozen  differing  media  and  half  a hundred 
applications.  The  artisan  you  find  often  includes  the 
artist,  for  creativeness  is  a badge  of  his  calling.  He  is  the 
artistic  enemy  of  things  in  pairs.  He  is  the  uncompro- 
mising foe  of  sameness,  as  nature  is,  even  in  things  that 
appear  the  same.  The  Japanese  embroiderer  introduces 
tints  in  shading  beyond  the  reach  of  the  painter  in  oils. 

The  ordinary  examples  of  the  fine  arts  that  one  meets  in 


THE  FINE  ARTS  IN  JAPAN 


163 


the  homes  of  Japan  are  the  pictorial  scroll  or  kakemono 
with  a picture  above  three  feet  long  and  half  the  width  that 
hangs  in  the  place  of  honour — in  a recess  called  the  toko- 
noma,  and  possibly  a bronze  or  pottery  statuette  standing 
on  a low  pedestal  in  the  same  recess.  A fine  vase  of  metal 
or  porcelain  chastely  decorated  and  holding  a single  flower, 
or  else  a wonderfully  decorated  sword  often  takes  the  place 
of  the  statuette.  Whatever  it  may  be,  it  is  there  to  be 
judged  on  its  merits  free  of  all  competition  with  others  of 
its  kind,  for  the  good  lady  of  the  house,  though  she  owns 
ever  so  many  pictured  scrolls  or  statuettes  or  vases,  will 
only  exhibit  one  of  a kind  at  a time.  No  walls  hung  with 
scores  of  pictures  or  shelves,  or  an  array  of  pedestals  about 
the  rooms,  enter  into  the  scheme  of  domestic  decoration  in 
Japan.  In  some  of  the  wealthiest  homes,  particularly  those 
of  noblemen  who  have  travelled  abroad,  a “Western 
parlour”  may  be  found  furnished  sumptuously  in  Euro- 
pean style,  and  on  whose  walls  hang  oil  paintings  in  gold 
frames  bought  in  the  course  of  residence  in  European 
capitals.  These  are  exceptional.  Hence  it  is  that  the  first 
glance  at  Japanese  art  in  pictures  is  apt  to  be  disappoint- 
ing. And  so  also  with  sculpture.  The  examples  one  sees 
at  the  Buddhist  temples  have  naturally  antiquarian  interest 
and  are  most  curious  and  instructive,  but  they  are  not  of 
the  life  about  one.  We  look  at  them  with  the  same  apart- 
ness as  the  American  Protestant  from  the  back  country 
looks  upon  the  religious  pictures  by  the  thousands  in  Euro- 
pean cathedrals  and  picture  galleries — angels  only  dreamed 
of,  saints’  names  scarcely  heard  of,  a Virgin  Mary  never 
poetized  in  his  mind.  Christian  as  they  may  be,  these  pic- 
tures are  scarcely  less  alien  to  his  eyes  than  “them  there 
Venuses  an’  Apollos  an’  sich  heathen  gods,”  in  mutilated 
marble  or  renaissance  canvases  that  vie  with  the  saints 
wherever  he  goes  in  southern  Europe. 

In  Japan,  however,  as  I have  said,  a light  soon  breaks 


164 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


on  you,  and  a world  of  art  new  to  your  perceptions  arises 
before  you.  On  no  one  was  this  more  profoundly  impressed 
than  on  the  late  Lafeadio  Hearn.  He  fairly  bathed  in  the 
light  of  his  discovery.  From  the  first  hour  of  his  arrival 
in  Japan  he  found  its  instance  in  the  common  street  signs 
with  their  Oriental  ideographs,  their  individuality  of 
execution,  each  sign  the  expression  of  an  artistic  person- 
ality, each  sign  with  its  individual  touch.  His  enthusiasm 
is  delightful,  even  though  one  cannot  wholly  share  it. 
Anyway  it  points  to  the  truth.  A land  where  every  one 
can  write  and  no  one  uses  a pen  is  the  beginning.  Instead 
of  the  restriction  as  among  us  of  writing  from  the  sup- 
ported wrist,  one  literally  paints  from  the  free  elbow  with 
the  fluent  brush  in  the  Orient.  Hence  come  delicacy  and 
force  at  will,  and  an  appreciation  of  suggestive  lines  and 
forms  utterly  unknowm  to  us  of  the  West.  It  may  well  be 
that  this  quality  makes  more  for  the  minute  than  for  the 
majestic:  but  it  is  intimate  and  of  our  lives  and  is  a 
wonderful  opening  of  the  inner  door  of  art.  It  furnishes 
a guide  and  a key  to  intricacy  of  design.  Its  final  influence 
on  the  larger  features  of  art  would  be  a most  interesting 
study. 

When  one  of  the  West  looks  first  on  a Japanese  garden, 
conditions  are  present  which  may  strike  one  as  expressing 
beauty  in  colour,  form  or  contrast, — the  beauty  is  felt, 
sometimes  acutely.  To  the  man,  woman  or  child  of  Japan 
it  is  in  addition  full  of  sharp  delights  from  satisfied 
and  accentuated  lines  and  shadings  and  harmonies  imper- 
ceptible to  us.  These  super-excellences  have  grown  in  the 
Japanese  mind  with  its  growth.  Few  Japanese  perhaps 
could  explain  them,  because  they  have  become  instinctive 
rather  than  consciously  acquired.  The  Japanese  joy  in  the 
colour,  form  and  design  of  a small  bit  of  decorated  porce- 
lain, in  an  engraved  or  damascened  netsuke,  in  a carved 
sword-guard,  would  often  seem  exaggerated.  In  reality  his 


1.  GOD  OF  WIND.  lYEMITSU  TEMPLE.  XIKKO 

2.  GOD  OF  THUNDER.  XIKKO 

j.  \VOOD-C.\RVIXG.  THE  THREE  MONKEYS  OF  TOSHOGU.  XIKKO 


THE  FINE  ARTS  IN  JAPAN 


165 


joy  is  in  proportion  to  his  art  education  and  the  cultivated 
delicacy  of  his  art  perceptions.  Thus  it  is  that  art  takes 
on  such  scope  for  him.  It  neglects  nothing.  It  makes 
easily  possible  the  spending  of  a whole  hour  by  a lady 
of  quality  in  arranging  a couple  of  flowers  in  a vase : there 
are  so  many  art  conditions  she  is  seeking  to  satisfy  in  a 
single  glance.  It  is  this  art  scrupulosity  which  makes  the 
conduct  of  the  “tea  ceremony”  a deep  study  for  her  in 
wrist  curves  and  finger  clasps  and  robe  folds  as  well  as 
simply  serving  a cup  of  the  green-gold  beverage  to  her 
friends.  You  are  in  a land  permeated  with  art  perceptions 
that  you  only  dimly  appreciate.  It  is  in  observing  what 
you  enjoy  in  common  with  them — the  effect  of  a glorious 
landscape,  for  instance,  or  the  mystic  suggestion  of  a 
temple  interior — that  you  lay  a mental  foundation  for  dis- 
covering how  far  they  can  go  beyond  you  in  numberless 
directions,  and  how  they  fall  utterly  short  in  others.  Their 
sense,  for  example,  of  the  lines  and  contours  of  drapery  is 
excessively  keen,  but  their  neglect  of  reality  in  the  human 
form  beneath  the  garment  is  just  as  obvious.  In  the  older 
pictures  one  observes  a law  of  perspective  peculiarly 
Japanese.  Instead  of  the  lines  of  distance  drawing  to- 
gether to  a vanishing  point,  they  are  prolonged  in  parallel, 
if  they  do  not  indeed  come  closer  together  at  the  front.  It 
was  long  defended  by  Japanese  artists  on  the  ground  that 
it  made  all  parts  of  the  picture  clearer.  Photography  has, 
however,  ‘ ‘ knocked  it  out.  ’ ’ 

It  is  desirable,  therefore,  to  learn  as  much  as  possible  of 
their  art  ideals  when  one  seeks  to  appreciate  their  art.  Let 
me  confess  that  I have  not  gone  far  enough  on  this  road  to 
be  at  all  a competent  guide,  but  merely  suggest  direc- 
tions for  serious  and  useful  thought.  Much  pleasure  may 
be  had  of  it,  however,  without  going  into  it  very  deeply. 

Art  in  Japan  is  indeed  so  wide  a topic  that  I might  as 
weU  say  that  I have  no  intention  here  of  reviewing  it  at 


166 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


length  or  with  any  great  particularity,  since  what  concerns 
us  is  what  artistic  impulses  and  achievements  I find  in  the 
art  of  today.  Broadly  speaking,  ancient  Japanese  art 
derives  from  China  through  its  immediate  neighbour, 
Korea.  The  first  transmission  came  with  the  introduction 
of  Buddhism  in  the  fifth  century  of  our  era.  That  Oriental 
religion  had  long  chosen  art  as  its  handmaid,  and  carried 
its  painting  and  sculpture  with  it  wherever  ambitious  piety 
set  up  its  temples  to  Amida  Buddha.  Japan  in  time  gave 
a native  turn  to  this  imported  art  with  its  many  sculptured 
figures  and  emblems.  As  seen  in  its  pre-Buddhist  Shinto 
temples  a great  severity  of  line  and  colour  and  a poverty 
of  decoration  had  marked  the  most  pretentious  fanes  of  the 
Way  of  the  Gods.  What  Shinto  temples  lacked  of  the 
ornate  then  has  remained  their  pride  to  this  day:  their 
inner  shrine  contains  no  painting  or  statue,  only  a mirror 
to  show  the  truth  its  face. 

The  Japanese  conveniently  classify  temple  structures 
from  the  art,  architectural  viewpoint  as  follows : 

1.  Shemmei — Style  of  the  gods — oldest,  pure  Shinto, 
like  the  Ise  temples,  white  wood  and  extreme  simplicity. 

2.  Nagare-zukuri — Flowing  style  or  Kasuga  style,  like 
the  Nara  temples,  the  medieval  type  after  the  period  of 
Emperor  Kwammu,  800  A.D.,  freer  lines  and  more  ornate. 

3.  Gongen — Incarnation  style  of  the  lyeyasu  period — 
1600  A.D.,  extremely  ornate,  painted,  the  tj^pe  of  the  Nikko 
temples. 

The  Meiji  shrine  commemorating  the  late  Emperor 
Mutsuhito,  is  to  be  mainly  of  the  second  style. 

To  the  Buddhist  priests  for  the  first  art  centuries  of 
Japan  fell  the  exemplification  of  the  fine  arts — religious 
paintings  on  scrolls  and  carving  of  the  statues  of  Buddha 
in  wood.  It  was  not  until  the  ninth  century  that  the  name 
of  Kose-no-Kanaoka,  a coui’t  noble,  emerged  showing  a 
notable  example  of  art  secularization.  The  submerged 


THE  FINE  ARTS  IN  JAPAN 


167 


millions  of  the  agricultural  people  had  no  share  in  it:  the 
soldier  class,  always  powerful  in  the  Island  Empire, 
scorned  it:  priests  and  nobles  alone  practised  it.  In  this 
way  it  progressed.  The  first  recognizable  Japanese  school 
— Yamato  Ryu  arose  in  the  year  1000.  The  Tosa  Ryu,  a 
classical  school,  arose  two  centuries  later,  by  classical  mean- 
ing an  attempted  return  to  clear  Chinese  painting  with 
its  extraordinary  landscapes — an  influence  that  has  never 
since  been  lost.  The  Tobase  called  after  Toba  Sojo  de- 
scribed as  “a  merry  priest”  arose  in  the  twelfth  century. 
For  centuries  there  was  no  great  new  impulse  until  the 
Ukiyoye — beginning  in  the  eighteenth  century,  and  reach- 
ing down  to  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century — a move- 
ment bringing  art  within  popular  lines  dealing  masterfully 
with  I’eal  life  and  real  scenery  and  powerfully  depicting 
character.  It  was  the  period  of  the  coloured  print 
(coloured  wonderfully  by  hand)  and  the  great  names  of 
Hokusai  and  Hiroshige  head  all  the  rest.  Oddly  enough 
this  art  movement  which  produced  real  masters  highly 
thought  of  in  America  and  Europe,  has  little  honour  in 
Japanese  art  circles. 

Undoubtedly  Whistler’s  enthusiastic  appreciation  of 
these  masterpieces  and  the  influence  that  Hokusai  and  his 
fellows  and  followers  had  on  his  own  art  was  the  most 
powerful  influence  in  making  the  West  greedy  for  the 
Ukiyoj'e  prints,  although  few  who  bought  them  at  gradually 
soaring  prices  knew  them  by  that  name. 

I asked  several  Japanese  men  of  wealth  and  taste  about 
them,  but  they  shrugged  their  shoulders,  and  said  they  were 
common  things  of  no  real  value.  These  were  men  whose 
art  collections  were  often  notable,  but  almost  wholly  Sansui, 
the  mountain  peaks,  misty  valleys  and  cloudy  wreathings 
of  which  there  are  millions,  ancient  and  modern,  handwork 
and  print,  in  Japan. 

Not  all,  of  course,  are  so  rooted  in  devotion  to  a single 


168 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


school,  I met  one  spectacled  gentleman  of  wealth  who  told 
me  he  was  about  to  make  a collection  of  them. 

‘ ‘ Where  will  you  get  them  ? ” I asked. 

“Boston,  U.  S.  A.,”  he  answered  simply. 

‘ ‘ They  have  the  best  there.  I must,  of  course,  learn  them 
first.  For  that  I shall  browse  among  our  print  shops  and 
have  expert  agents  look  about  for  me  in  all  sorts  of  places, 
men  who  can  tell  the  real  from  the  imitations.  So  I shall 
become  expert,  and  then  I shall  go  to  Boston,  and  see  what 
I can  do.” 

His  plan,  so  characteristic  of  Japanese  thoroughness, 
amused  me,  but  it  showed  that  there  must  be  many  good 
things  of  the  Ukiyoye  left  in  Japan.  Even  in  America  we 
have  people  who  think  the  foreign  place  is  the  rare  place 
for  buying  things. 

Today  a mixed,  but  not  unhopeful  condition,  exists. 
There  is  no  sign  that  an  entirely  new  interpretation  will 
immediately  be  found,  but  good  work  is  in  the  doing 
along  many  lines,  some  progressive  and  some  decidedly 
reactionary. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  the  first  plunge  into  Oriental 
art  on  Japanese  soil  should  be  taken  by  another  foreigner 
as  it  was  by  me  in  viewing  the  collection  of  Baron  Okura 
at  his  museum  in  Tokyo.  This  is  a great  house  filled  in 
all  its  rooms  and  stories  with  Asiatic  antiques.  Here  are 
hundreds  of  remarkable  bronze  figures  of  Buddha  from 
Tibet,  Siam,  China  and  Korea  as  well  as  from  the  ancient 
shrines  of  Nippon.  Hindu  divinities  abound.  Kwannon, 
goddess  of  mercy  and  help  to  man,  some  examples  with 
eleven  heads ; others  with  two  score  of  hands,  each  holding 
an  emblem  of  toil  are  here  in  scores.  The  terrible  threaten- 
ing Deva  gods  mostly  in  carved  wood  who  guard  the 
temples  are  here  in  dozens.  Woe,  you  say,  to  the  evil 
spirits  whom  ill-advised  malignity  send  in  their  direction. 
And  these,  it  is  well  to  know,  reveal  the  outward  signs  of 


THE  FINE  ARTS  IN  JAPAN 


169 


a great  religion  generation  after  generation,  from  many 
lands  of  the  East,  the  most  modern  three  hundred  and  the 
most  ancient  thirteen  hundred  years  old. 

You  carry  away  with  you  certain  impressions — the  calm, 
the  awful,  the  gentle,  adoring  silence  of  the  Buddha — above 
all,  the  calm.  It  emerges  from  a slim-waisted,  highly 
decorated  Buddha  of  Tibet  as  well  as  from  the  later  and 
simpler  Buddha  of  Japan.  Following  it  is  a sense  of  the 
compassion  for  man  which  extends  over  all  his  efforts  and 
aspirations.  Thirdly,  the  sturdy  sense  of  angry  defiance. 
Distorted  with  passion  may  be  the  faces  of  the  Devas,  the 
power  in  their  posture,  the  strength  in  their  muscles  and 
decision  in  their  gesture,  all  appeal  stoutly  to  one ’s  artistic 
sense  no  matter  how  chimerical  the  realm  they  rule  or  the 
office  they  fill  of  sentries  and  police  of  the  homes  of  the 
gods.  Just  as  the  ugliest  bulldog  is  artistically  excellent 
so  stand  forth  these  Devas  as  compact  expressions  of 
emotional  power.  Silent  thought,  sweet  compassion,  un- 
equivocal force  were  the  impressions  carried  away  from 
these  carven  signs  of  the  godly  which  ruled  men’s  imagina- 
tions for  centuries.  One  great  group  showed  Amida 
Buddha  with  twenty-eight  minor  Buddhas  each  with  a 
different  musical  instrument. 

Here  first  I saw  great  examples  of  the  golden  lacquer 
work  in  boxes  and  desks  and  netsuke  whose  graven  work 
of  gold  upon  gold  is  a dream  of  artistry,  also  lacquer  work 
in  larger  variety  of  sealing-wax  red.  The  collection  is  one 
of  the  glories  of  the  nation  and  has  been  made  by  a man 
who  built  his  own  fortune,  and,  active  today  at  eighty, 
mingles  his  business  and  his  archaeology  with  the  enthu- 
siasm of  twenty-five. 

Afterward  at  Kamakura,  standing  adream  before  the 
colossal  bronze  Amida  Buddha,  forty-nine  feet  high,  lifting 
its  head  into  the  blue  of  the  sky%  I was  face  to  face  with 
the  greatest  example  of  art  in  Japan — if  not  in  all  the 


170 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


world.  Larger  Buddhas  there  are  in  Nippon,  but,  large 
or  small,  not  one  conveys  so  overpowering  a sense  of  the 
untold  dimensions  of  divine  thought  or  the  calm  in  which 
it  operates.  Here  is  a devotional  exemplar  for  a race  and 
nation — immense  in  bronze,  but  greater  still  in  suggestion 
of  mind  eternally  contemplating — free  of  wonder,  free  of 
fear,  and  a mighty  fragment  of  the  super-divinity  that  it 
contemplates  perpetually.  Thus  it  has  stood  for  seven  and 
a half  centuries.  It  was  there  above  two  hundred  years 
before  Columbus  sailed  for  the  New  World  from  Spain. 
No  carven  Zeus  of  ancient  Greece  compares  with  it.  Re- 
membering it,  the  Japanese  can  lift  his  head  when  ancient 
art  or  old  religion  is  discussed  the  world  over. 

It  is,  however,  at  the  Imperial  Art  Museum  of  Tokjm 
that  the  best  insight  can  be  had  into  the  great  variety  of 
the  ancient  art  of  Japan — for  pieces  of  distinction  particu- 
larly as  to  paintings,  sculptures  in  wood  or  metal,  in  bronze 
and  lacquer  work.  Here  again  the  range  of  the  arts  down 
the  centuries  impresses  one  with  the  old  civilization  of 
Japan,  but  in  character  the  same  limitations  of  the  pictorial 
are  met,  and  the  same  special  excellences  are  revealed.  The 
bronzes  are  particularly  fine.  Outside  the  many  Buddhas 
and  Kwannons — one  eighth-century  ornate  temple  gong 
framed  in  the  coils  of  four  dragons  which  rise  from  en- 
twining a pillar  resting  for  pedestal  on  the  back  of  the 
Hound  of  Fo,  might  indeed  stand  for  the  limit  of  fine  lines 
and  superb  decoration.  For  centuries  it  sounded  to  priestly 
prayer  in  the  temple  of  Kofuku. 

The  wood-carving  of  Japan  has  for  many  centuries  been 
among  its  most  outstanding  art-glories,  and  today  numbers 
votaries  of  the  highest  excellence.  It  is  perhaps  in  the 
carvings  which  adorn  the  gates  and  outer  walls  of  the 
temples  at  Nikko  that  it  is  seen  in  its  most  massed  effects. 
There  are  found  the  weird,  well-known  three  monkeys  and 
the  equally  famous  sleeping  cat  of  Hidari  Jingoro,  the 


THE  FINE  ARTS  IN  JAPAN 


171 


greatest  carver  of  all,  amid  carvings  of  birds  and  scroll 
work  beyond  enumeration.  The  fact  that  loud  colours  and 
gilding  cry  at  you  overloudly  above  the  charm  of  delicately 
chiselled  wood  does  not  destroy  the  thrill  in  it  but  gives  it 
a new  turn. 

Japanese  paintings  assort  themselves  in  the  native  mind 
under  three  divisions : 

1.  Sansui — Mountain  and  water  or  landscapes. 

2.  Kwaeho — Flowers  and  birds  or  animal  and  plant  life. 

3.  Jimbutsu — Humanity  or  figure  pieces. 

Butsugwa — Buddhist  paintings,  in  other  words,  religious 
paintings,  make  another  division  which  may  combine  any 
or  all  of  the  other  three. 

I have  said  that  painting  in  Japan  of  today  has  not  set 
its  face  in  any  positive  direction,  although  the  number  of 
serious  students  is  steadily  increasing.  The  increase  is  due 
to  the  period  of  relative  peace  which  the  country  is  enjoy- 
ing, which  allows  of  more  serious  regard  for  the  graces  of 
life.  Since  these  latter  seldom  count  among  the  necessities 
they  are  apt  to  be  swamped  out  in  times  of  stress  such  as 
come  with  great  wars.  If,  as  the  Romans  said,  “In  war- 
time laws  are  silent,”  it  is  more  the  case  with  the  fine  arts. 
In  a governmental  pamphlet  prepared  by  the  Department 
of  Education,  giving  a brief  history  of  Art  Education  in 
Japan  it  is  declared  that  during  the  Tokugawa  period  of 
three  hundred  years,  literary  and  artistic  taste  spread 
among  the  masses  and  many  besides  noblemen  collected 
and  kept  in  their  possession  works  of  fine  art.  With  the 
Restoration  of  the  Mikado’s  power  in  1868,  however,  “the 
political  reformation  brought  about  a social  one,  and  works 
of  fine  art  fell  for  a time  into  such  low  estate  as  almost  to 
be  thrown  away  as  rubbish.  ’ ’ 

Photography  is  producing  a twofold  effect  in  Japanese 
art.  It  is  increasing  the  tendency  to  literalness  on  one  side, 
and  by  reflex  action  is  throwing  idealists  back  on  the  noble 


172 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


suggestiveness  of  the  earlier  masters.  For  the  matter  of 
that  you  may  see  the  same  opposition  in  the  older  schools 
in  the  Kwacho  (flowers  and  birds)  style,  where  every 
feather,  every  blossom  seems  to  be  meticulously  presented, 
and  the  branch  on  which  the  bird  is  perched,  or  the  river 
beside  which  it  stands,  is  sketched  with  a marvellously 
suggestive  stroke  or  two. 

The  Imperial  Tokyo  Fine  Art  School  only  dates  from 
1873.  It  now  occupies  two  large  and  extensive  buildings, 
one  devoted  to  painting  and  sculpture  and  the  other  to 
the  minor  arts.  In  this  institution  there  are  eight  courses 
of  flve  years  each.  The  divisions  in  the  fine  arts  are  first 
made  between  Japanese  painting  and  European  painting. 
The  latter  division  was  not  added  to  the  curriculum  until 
1896 ; in  the  same  year  a modelling  class  was  added  to  the 
course  of  sculpture.  The  eight  courses  of  art  are  Japanese 
painting,  European  painting,  sculpture,  designing,  engrav- 
ing on  metal,  metal  easting,  lacquering  and  the  normal 
course  of  drawing.  In  both  systems  are  taught  anatomy, 
perspective,  designing,  aesthetics,  history  of  art  and 
archaeology.  The  student,  I may  say,  is  expected  at  the 
start  to  choose  one  style  or  the  other  and  follow  it  to  the 
end.  This  custom  is  probably  founded  on  experience  as 
to  results,  but  it  does  seem  to  me  to  weaken  the  artistic 
force  of  the  institution  as  a whole.  The  course  in  Japanese 
painting  is  divided  into  copying,  sketching  and  designing. 
Copying  begins  with  pictures  by  professors  of  the  school  or 
by  famous  pairfters  of  other  days  proceeding  from  the 
simpler  to  the  more  complex.  The  art  of  composition  and 
the  use  of  the  brush  are  taught  pari  passu.  In  sketching, 
plants,  flowers  and  fruit  are  given  for  subjects.  Next, 
insects,  fish,  birds  and  animals  are  brought  to  the  class- 
room for  sketching,  or  else  the  students  are  taken  to  the 
Zoological  Gardens  to  sketch  insects,  fish,  birds  and  animals. 
Then  follows  sketching  from  the  life  model  clothed,  it  may 


THE  FINE  AETS  IN  JAPAN 


173 


be  in  ancient  armour  or  modern  fashionable  dress.  Design- 
ing is  required  of  students  in  the  second,  third  and  fourth 
years.  In  the  fifth  year  each  must  paint  his  graduation 
picture. 

It  may  be  said  that  both  from  personal  taste  and 
patriotic  motives  the  professors  throw  the  greater  stress 
on  the  Japanese  school.  While  the  work  of  the  European 
side  of  the  institution  is  referred  to  respectfully,  one  can 
easily  see  where  their  hearts  are.  All  their  inner  taste 
cries  out  for  the  old  art  of  Nippon.  If  perfection  is  to 
be  approached  they  would  have  it  done  by  that  path. 
Consequently  they  have  the  majority  of  the  students 
working  on  that  side.  A walk  through  the  large  class- 
rooms proves  its  popularity.  In  their  devotion  the  sansui 
stands  first,  pictures  of  mountains,  with  all  manner  of 
application  of  mists  and  clouds,  with  rivers  close  at  hand 
or  in  the  distance,  with  trees  in  the  foreground  and  flowers 
in  masses.  One  has  seen  so  much  of  this  in  the  old  masters 
that  the  actual  enthusiasm  for  it  seems  unaccountable  in 
fresh  young  minds.  The  effects  are  of  nature,  and  yet 
not  quite  natural.  If  you  travel  up  and  down  the  valleys 
of  Japan  you  will  at  times  come  upon  just  such  peaks  and 
cliffs  as  you  have  mentally  labelled  “impossible”  in  looking 
at  the  pictures.  But  while  they  exist  in  nature,  they  are 
rare.  In  the  sansui  art  they  are  everj-Avhere.  The  free- 
brushed  artists  of  the  eighteenth  century,  Ukiyoye,  it  is 
true,  strained  nature  a little  to  bring  them  in  at  times,  but 
for  the  most  part  these  masters  drew  actual,  natural  land- 
scapes, houses,  bridges,  streets  as  they  existed,  and  this  is 
what  has  given  the  prints  sold  for  a few  cents  when  they 
were  issued  values  that  run  into  the  hundreds  of  dollars 
in  the  American  and  European  auction  rooms  of  today. 
Japan  itself  has  been  stripped  bare  of  them,  and  we  see 
the  native  effort  of  the  learned  and  accomplished  professors 
directing  youth  into  a dessicated  landscape  art.  In  the 


174 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


flowers  and  fruits  and  birds  and  fishes  they  do  sketch  and 
colour  from  nature,  and  really  fine  work  is  done.  On  the 
day  of  my  visit  there  was  an  iris  blossom  beside  every 
board,  and  all  were  copying  the  flower  with  such  varia- 
tion as  to  arrangement  as  pleased  their  fancies.  In 
this  a wonderful  variety  of  treatment  was  discovered.  The 
students  were  mostly  thoughtful-faced  and  in  a great  many 
cases  dreamy-eyed  young  men  intent  on  their  work,  but, 
Muth  the  buoyancy  of  youth,  dropping  into  humorous 
wordy  interplay  when  the  eye  of  the  visitor  and  his  pro- 
fessor guide  were  out  of  sight.  The  life-class  was  more 
properly  a costume  class,  for  the  inattention  to  the  per- 
sonality of  the  model  resulted  in  drawing  stereotj'ped  faces 
particularly  of  women.  Even  in  the  case  of  male  models 
this  was  unfortunately  apparent.  With  the  women’s  faces, 
as  drawn,  one  saw  the  same  exaggeration  of  the  small  eye, 
the  large  nose,  the  little  rosebud  mouth — that  never  was 
on  sea  or  land.  With  the  drapery  it  was  far  otherwise — 
sweeping  folds  and  frequent  creasings  gave  one  the  very 
touch  of  the  stuff  and  the  garment.  Some  showed  Western 
influence  in  this  work,  but  in  nearly  all  eases  the  human 
figure  suffered  for  the  attention  paid  to  the  clothes. 

In  the  division  of  “European”  painting,  the  students 
showed  much  vigour  in  the  charcoal  drawing.  They  drew 
from  the  round,  from  busts  and  the  like.  The  power  of  out- 
line due  as  I have  already  noted  to  the  earlj’^  and  continued 
use  of  the  brush  in  writing,  told  strongly.  As  the  students 
advance  they  take  up  painting  in  oils,  and  work  in  pencil 
and  water-colours  is  added.  Life  sketching  is  naturally  a 
later  development  and  I saw  some  creditable  work  on  the 
young  men’s  easels.  Outdoor  sketching  in  pencil,  water- 
colours and  oils  is  finally  included.  Signs  of  genius  are  of 
course  infrequent  in  schools  all  over  the  world,  but  a fair 
average  of  trained  talent  using  modern  methods  of  painting 
by  the  mass  was  revealed  here.  On  the  side  of  the  insti- 


THE  FINE  ARTS  IN  JAPAN 


175 


tution  devoted  to  the  minor  arts  excellent  work  was  in 
progress.  In  these  artisan  divisions  indeed,  Japanese 
talents  are  supreme. 

A visit  to  the  Fine  Art  School  at  Kyoto  showed  a develop- 
ment somewhat  inferior  in  range  of  studies  to  the  Tokyo 
school,  but  I came  upon  one  example  in  colour  which,  better 
than  anj^thing  else  I had  seen,  seemed  to  me  to  typify  the 
direction  of  the  advance  along  Western  lines  while  taking 
to  itself  distinct  Japanese  attributes.  This  was  a first 
prize  picture  in  1911  by  a graduate  of  the  Academy, 
Bakusen  Tsuchida.  It  shows  a young  woman  before  a 
mirror.  There  was  certainty  in  the  brush  work  and  an 
individuality  about  the  person  portrayed,  despite  the  fact 
that  the  artist  had  evaded  painting  the  face  by  the  ex- 
pedient of  putting  the  fiexed  arm  in  front  of  it  from  the 
onlooker’s  point  of  view.  The  treatment  of  the  drapery, 
notably  in  rounding  off  the  ends,  is  pure  Japanese,  but  the 
modelling,  colour  and  warmth  of  the  conception  and 
execution  give  it  the  key  of  cosmopolitan  art.  I succeeded 
in  getting  a photograph,  but  not  a very  good  one.  The 
same  applies  to  a picture  of  the  Goddess  Kwannon,  genera- 
trix by  Hogai  Kano,  founder  of  the  Tokyo  Art  Academy, 
who  died  in  1886.  It  is  held  in  high  repute  and  is,  I 
imagine,  the  best  Japanese  figure  picture  in  a generation. 

Talk  as  one  may  of  differing  schools  and  infiuences,  the 
great  maker  of  art  epochs  is  a great  master.  In  painting 
it  is  Japan’s  great  want  of  today.  And  one  never  can 
forecast  such  a phenomenon.  When  the  singer  cried : 

Say,  Britain,  could  you  ever  boast 

Three  poets  in  an  age  at  most? 

The  answer  might  weU  be,  scarcely  one.  The  age  seldom 
gauges  its  great  men  correctly,  and  Time  whittles  down  the 
judgment  of  today  with  fearful  chippings.  Still  there  is 


176 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


a condition  of  change,  or  tentative  blending  in  Japanese 
pictorial  art  that  seems  to  call  for  some  native  genius  who 
will  grasp  the  hour  and  force  it  to  some  great  purpose. 
From  the  opposite  side  the  work  of  Whistler  shows  how 
great  the  art  invitation  is.  May  the  Japanese  master 
arrive  soon,  and  may  his  light  not  remain  under  the 
bushel. 

In  sculpture  the  results  so  far  are  not  great.  The 
photographic  tendency  in  statuary  is  unfortunate — unil- 
luminated reality.  In  ivory  carving,  however,  skill  is  very 
high.  I secured  a photograph  of  one  remarkable  piece  of 
combined  high  relief  carving  and  inlaying  at  the  Tokyo 
school — a rustic  Chinese  philosopher,  Chuang-tze,  reading 
a book  while  sitting  at  ease  on  a bundle  of  sticks  with  his 
axe  and  lantern  behind  him.  The  live  vigour  of  the  figure 
and  the  loving  fidelity  of  the  details  make  it  a wonderful 
panel.  It  is  by  Shoseku  Iriya,  graduate  in  sculpture  in 
1911. 

In  damascene  work,  inlaying  steel  surfaces  with  gold,  the 
modern  success  is  remarkable.  It  is  not  perhaps  possible 
in  this  branch  of  art  to  go  beyond  the  work  of  the  armour 
periods  in  Asia.  It  is  a work  of  enormous  patience,  but 
can  now  be  pursued  with  tools  and  appliances  that  were 
unheard  of  in  the  great  days  of  ornamented  breastplates, 
helmets,  swords  and  spears. 

In  ceramics,  modern  Japan  is  holding  its  place.  A loud 
and  probably  sincere  cry  has  gone  up  against  the  com- 
mercializing of  the  art — the  degradation  of  forms,  glaze, 
colouring  and  painting  of  pieces  of  pottery  made  by  the 
thousand  for  the  European  and  Asiatic  markets, — but  it 
should  not  be  given  the  force  attached  to  it  by  those  who 
utter  it.  Our  fashion  is  to  speak  of  these  mass  manu- 
factures as  popularized  art.  It  is  quite  true  that  valueless 
articles  from  the  aesthetic  viewpoint  are  sent  in  bales  from 
Japan  to  Europe,  but  it  is  well  to  remember  that  these 


WOODCAKVINGS,  YOMEIMON,  NIKKO 


THE  FINE  ARTS  IN  JAPAN 


177 


pieces  are  manufactured  to  meet  a demand  for  cheap  goods. 
Side  by  side  with  them  go  really  admirable  copies  of  the 
better  pieces  all  done  by  men  and  even  women  from  the 
art  schools.  At  Nagoya  in  the  great  Morimura  porcelain 
factory  employing  two  thousand  five  hundred  hands,  half 
of  them  women,  where  the  entire  process  from  the  puddling 
of  the  crude  kaolin  to  the  finished  product  may  be  seen, 
I visited  one  large  room  in  the  painting  department  with 
a hundred  men,  young  women  and  boys  putting  the  colours 
by  hand  on  several  pieces  of  excellent  quality  from  designs 
made  by  special  artists.  These  are  outlined  in  black  on 
paper  which  is  applied  over  the  plaque,  vase,  plate  or  cup, 
wetted  and  removed,  leaving  the  design  outlined  on  the 
objects.  The  colour  application  thus  leaves  room  for 
modifications  within  certain  limits  by  the  young  artists, 
and  it  was  indicative  of  the  ti’aditional  Japanese  dislike 
of  servile  imitation  to  note  how  a tint  or  a touch  here  or 
there  gave  a spice  of  variety  to  a score  or  more  of  pieces 
at  first  blush  alike.  But  the  manufacture  of  high-grade 
pottery  is  in  nowise  on  the  decline.  There  are  firms  in  all 
branches  in  the  city  of  Kyoto  where  nothing  but  first-class 
work  as  to  material,  form,  glaze  and  colour  design  is 
allowed  to  leave  the  factory.  Such  a firm,  too,  I found 
on  a hilly  outskirt  of  Yokohama,  the  father  and  sons  who 
have  produced  the  well-known  Makuza  ware  (a  porcelain) 
for  two  generations.  Anything  more  devotedly  artistic 
than  their  attitude  toward  their  work  it  would  be  hard  to 
discover.  The  smallest  defect  in  the  baking  leads  to  instant 
rejection  of  even  the  costliest  pieces.  The  best  Japanese 
firms  are  doing  as  fine  work  as  ever  was  done  in  J apan.  I 
am  sure  that  the  Makuza  blues,  for  instance,  will  hold  their 
ground  with  the  best  that  come  out  of  China. 

It  is  in  cloisonne  that  Japanese  genius  is  making  the 
greatest  strides  today.  The  old-time  plates  with  their 
uniform  sky-blue  background  are  no  longer  to  be  found  in 


178 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


the  modern  studio.  Tall  vases  in  delicate  buff,  in  a 
marvellous  sea-water  green  fairly  ravish  the  ej^e.  In  some 
the  wires  have  been  thinned  almost  to  vanishing:  in  the 
latest  they  have,  with  the  utmost  skill,  been  removed  alto- 
gether— presenting  a surface  that  it  is  difficult  to  distin- 
guish from  the  finest  porcelain.  What  is  astonishing  in 
this  work  is  the  freedom  of  the  designs,  which  one  would 
imagine  to  be  entirely  in  the  province  of  brushwork.  At 
the  Tokyo  Exposition  the  specimens  were  very  fine — one 
pair  of  large  vases  nearly  thirty  inches  high  and  broadly 
rounded  were  valued  at  five  thousand  yen.  There  were 
small  vases  of  irridescent  colours,  blues  and  greens  and 
mixtures  of  most  delicate  shades.  One  piece  of  a warm 
cafe  au  lait  base  with  decorations  of  large  flower  blooms 
was  particularly  fine  in  design  and  distinction. 

I was  later  privileged  to  inspect  the  factory  at 
Nagoya,  namely,  Ando’s,  where  these  wonders  were 
wrought.  It  is  not  a very  large  place.  It  happened  to 
be  a holiday,  but  on  account  of  the  coming  of  our  party 
a large  number  of  the  workmen  had  been  asked  to  work 
for  half  a day.  Mr.  Ando,  a grave-faced  courteous  man, 
received  us  with  many  apologies  that  a holiday  should 
venture  to  intervene  when  our  honourable  visit  was  due, 
but  he  had  some  of  his  best  artists  there,  who  would 
endeavour  and  so  on — all  of  the  gentlest  and  kindest.  We 
first  came  upon  a group  of  eight  men  of  middle  age  and 
serious  mien  seated  in  a row  at  work  on  a set  of  cloisonne 
panels  for  the  personal  railroad  car  which  was  to  trans- 
port His  Majesty  to  the  coronation  at  Kyoto  in  the  ensu- 
ing November.  All  were  dressed  in  khaki  blouses,  and 
squatted  on  cushions  facing  the  open  air.  Three  of  them 
were  affixing  to  the  brass  panel-backing  the  fine,  flattened 
gold-tinted  brass  wire  which  would  later  enclose  the  enamel 
in  a peacock  pattern.  It  is  very  slow  work.  The  foreman 
pointed  to  a single  line  than  ran  the  length  of  the  panel, 


THE  FINE  ARTS  IN  JAPAN 


179 


and  said  it  would  take  a whole  day  to  wire  it.  This  is  done 
by  wetting  the  lower  edge  with  a fluid  that  sticks  it  to  the 
plate.  When  all  the  wiring  is  done  the  plate  is  heated,  and 
the  wire  is  thereby  soldered.  Two  of  the  men  were  apply- 
ing the  coloured  enamels  to  a panel.  Two  were  dealing 
with  great  bowls,  one  wiring,  and  one  enameling,  and  one 
man  was  filling  small  holes  according  to  a pattern  in  a 
large  copper  bowl  about  fourteen  inches  wide  at  the  rim. 
It  was  to  be  an  electric  lamp  shade,  and  the  holes  were  to 
be  filled  with  a transparent  glass,  like  enamel,  giving  a 
beautiful  effect  when  the  lamps  are  lighted,  as  I saw  later 
in  a smaller  specimen.  Each  side  of  the  latter  was  smooth, 
but  when  an  incandescent  burner  was  lighted  inside  it, 
the  surface  seemed  covered  with  fine  leaves  raised  from  the 
inverted  bowl.  We  were  shown  the  small  kilns  where  the 
heating  of  the  enamels  was  done — about  half  an  hour  each 
time,  but  many,  many  heatings  being  necessary.  After 
fixing  the  enamels  the  surface  is  ground  fine  by  scrubbing 
with  rough,  hard  stones  at  first  and  finer  grained  stones 
later.  Dove  colour,  a fine  grey-green  which  they  call  “light 
grass  colour,”  the  blue  grey  that  they  call  “rat  and 
indigo,”  another  fine  tint  that  they  call  “light  purple” 
are  among  the  latest  of  the  many  new  hues  they  are  calling 
into  use.  They  find,  I was  glad  to  hear,  their  best  market 
in  the  United  States. 

Embroidery,  the  art  that  we  almost  wholly  identify  with 
the  handiwork  of  women,  is,  in  Japan,  by  far  the  best  the 
work  of  men.  To  see  a row  of  men  embroiderers  at  work, 
the  bent  forms  above  the  canvas,  the  silence  broken  only  by 
prick  of  needles  through  the  tough,  stretched  fabric,  to  see 
the  marvels  of  pictorial  or  pattern  work  slowly  creeping 
with  sure  strokes  into  form  and  exquisitely  graded  colour 
gives  one  a great  and  curious  sensation.  The  rendition  by 
these  ai’tisans  of  pictures  done  originally  in  oil,  “Western” 
pictures  mostly,  are  startling  in  their  brilliance  and  fidelity. 


180 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


Indeed,  one  sees  that  the  colour-sense  of  the  embroiderers  is 
keener  than  that  of  most  artists.  I asked  one  man,  grave, 
middle-aged,  in  a Kyoto  factory  to  show  me  a yarn  of  Asagi 
blue — a tint  I had  admired  in  the  robe  of  a priest  at  Nikko. 
He  smiled  and  said,  “We  have  ten  shades  of  Asagi  blue.” 

Certainly  our  public  art  galleries  should  have  examples 
of  these  large,  important  pieces,  even  though  they  happen 
to  be  transcripts  of  pictures  by  Occidental  artists.  Better 
still  if  orders  were  given  for  transcripts  of  such  Japanese 
designs  as  the  Kwannon  generatrix  of  Hogai  Kano  before 
alluded  to.  Our  rich  foundations  could  well  afford  it,  and 
it  would  well  repay  them. 

But  all  the  women  in  Japan  embroider  more  or  less,  not 
generally,  it  is  true,  in  the  higher  reaches  of  the  art,  but 
I watched  large  classes  of  girls  and  young  women  at  work 
in  the  technical  schools  upon  canvases  of  real  merit. 
While  the  men  embroiderers  worked  with  what  seemed  a 
fierceness,  so  tense  was  their  effort,  the  girls  were  evidently 
weaving  something  wonderful,  something  of  dream  with 
their  silken  threads.  They  will  carry  the  artist  strain  to 
Japan  of  the  future  in  the  children  they  will  bear  in  the 
fulness  of  time. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


ON  WHEELS  IN  JAPAN 

Delights  and  drawbacks  of  the  jinrickisha  or  kuruma — The 
runners — A three-century  old  jinrickisha — My  first  ride — A 
procession  of  bobbing  lanterns — The  tic-toc  of  clogs — Tbe  kago 
or  litter — The  travelling  chairs — The  trolley  cars — Crowding 
— Bicycles  for  business  purposes — Automobiles  rare  but  in- 
creasing— Room  for  a small  two-seat  car — The  narrow-gauge 
on  the  state  railways — Three  classes — Humours  and  manners 
of  train  travel — The  ready  “red  cap” — Natives  who  take  up 
much  room — The  vocal  appeal  at  the  stations — Multiplicity  of 
officials. 

To  get  about  in  Japan  one  should  cheerfully  face  the  fact 
that  humanity  was  bom  to  go  afoot.  It  still  remains  the 
best  way  to  see  what  is  going  on  around  one.  Thus  only 
may  the  visitor  from  a foreign  shore  learn  closely  the  ways 
of  the  Japanese  in  their  living  and  moving  relations. 

If  you  are  ignorant  of  the  language,  as  you  well  may  be, 
and  make  use  of  a dragoman  or  interpreter  and  guide,  why, 
take  him  along;  he  won’t  mind  and  your  profit  will  be 
great.  If  you  do  not  you  will  acquire  the  jinrickisha  habit 
and  your  pleasure  be  cut  in  half  and  your  chances  of  in- 
formation woefully  curtailed. 

Once  mounted  in  the  cute  little  two-wheeled  carriages 
you  find  yourself  all  alone,  your  guide  in  another  rickisha 
either  ahead  of  you  or  behind  you.  You  ask  a single 
question  now  and  then  under  great  and  often  annoying 
difficulty.  You  soon  end  by  making  only  the  absolutely 
necessary  inquiries  with  a touching  resignation. 

The  kuruma,  as  the  jinrickisha  is  oftenest  called  by  the 

181 


182 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


Japanese  themselves,' is  nevertheless  a handy  little  vehicle 
and  to  most  people  very  agreeable  to  ride  in  if  you  discount 
its  solitariness.  The  word  jinrickisha  means  literally  man- 
power wagon,  which  has  been  ingeniously  rendered  a pull 
man  car.  It  has  its  hood  for  sun,  wind  or  rain ; its  apron, 
also  for  the  latter;  has  body  springs  and  often  runs  in 
Tokyo  on  rubber  tires. 

In  its  present  shape  it  does  not  go  back  of  1868.  Most 
Japanese  attribute  it  to  a paralytic  old  gentleman  of  Kyoto 
who  was  tired  of  his  palanquin  and  took  to  a little  two- 
wheeled cart.  The  more  generally  received  story  is  that 
an  American  missionary  with  a sick  wife  suggested  to  a 
Japanese  mechanic  the  idea  of  a two-wheel  perambulator 
and  so  started  the  fashion.  That  may  all  be  so,  but  in 
that  superb  book  “The  History  of  Japanese  Art”  you  will 
find  a reproduction  of  a picture  by  Kano  Morinubu,  best 
known  as  Tanyu,  which  that  artist  limned  in  1662,  and 
which  is  now  in  the  Ikeda  collection.  In  a corner  of  a 
balcony  it  shows  a jinrickisha  of  the  period  “as  sure  as 
eggs  is  eggs  ’ ’ — with  the  kurumaya  squatted  waiting  for  his 
master. 

The  little  cars  have,  anyway,  spread  all  over  the  Far 
East.  Recently  there  were  thirty-three  thousand  of  them 
in  Tokyo  alone,  and  over  thirty-one  thousand  kurumaya, 
but  the  number  tends  to  decrease  and  the  rates  for  using 
them  to  rise.  The  falling  off  is  due  to  the  rise  of  the 
electric  trolley  cars,  a whole  network  of  which  serves  the 
city  in  an  ever-increasing  trackage.  As  a consequence  the 
temptation  to  lively  young  men  to  enter  the  business  is  less 
and  less  and  the  sturdy  little  chap  who  takes  you  at  a jog 
trot  through  the  city  is  generally  a man  between  thirty-five 
and  forty-five. 

I confess  that  this  trotting  by  proxy  troubled  me  for 
months.  It  seemed  hard  to  me  that  another  human  being 
should  spend  his  vitality  for  me  so  visibly.  No  doubt  we 


ON  WHEELS  IN  JAPAN 


183 


accept  without  a thought  similar  service  from  the  butcher, 
the  baker,  the  cook,  the  farmer,  the  hunter,  the  fishers  on 
the  stormy  seas — all  in  fact  who  “earn  their  bread  in 
the  sweat  of  their  brow” — but  with  the  kurumaya  it  is 
different. 

We  accept  the  horse,  the  ass,  the  elephant  as  draught 
animals  cheerfully,  but  here  is  a man,  like  oneself — a 
husband,  a father,  an  intelligent  being — doing  one’s  very 
own  duty  of  locomotion,  just  as  one  of  the  lower  animals 
might,  and  on  the  long  stretches  of  the  road  suffering 
visibly  that  you  may  be  at  ease.  To  look  at  the  bent, 
patient  back  of  the  little  runner,  to  hear  his  occasional 
cough,  to  see  him  half  furtively  mopping  the  streaming 
sweat  from  his  face  as  he  ran,  always  oppressed  me  with 
a sense  of  possessing  an  unjustifiable  privilege. 

To  them  it  is  all  in  the  day’s  work;  they  only  object  to 
you  in  the  scale  of  your  weight  and  your  generosity.  Now 
I am  no  feather,  and  when  I was  about  to  sally  forth  from 
the  Imperial  Hotel  I noticed  a pardonable  preference 
among  them  for  the  lightweights  of  the  party  until  I hit 
upon  the  idea  of  having  two  men  serve  me — one  in  front 
to  pull  and  one  at  the  side  to  push ; occasionally,  and  much 
to  be  preferred,  two  who  ran  tandem,  the  foremost  towing 
the  second  with  a rope. 

The  latter  is  the  method  of  the  Tokyo  dandies,  who  dress 
their  runners  in  a kind  of  livery  and  bowl  along  the  streets 
sitting  upright  as  ramrods  and  looking  very  grand  and 
proud.  The  doubling  up  gives  them  an  additional  privi- 
lege. It  is  an  unwritten  law  in  Japan  that  no  one-man 
kuruma  shall  pass  another  going  in  the  same  direction. 
As  I now  shared  the  privilege  of  speed,  it  made  me  a little 
happier  in  the  practice,  although  the  panting,  the  face- 
wiping, the  short  cough  of  the  man  who  trotted  sweating 
profusely  so  close  beside  me  were  often  trying. 

Oddly  enough  I never  had  that  feeling  of  having  an 


184 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


undue  advantage  riding  in  rickishas  in  China.  The  runners 
there  are  all  young  men — lithe,  wild  creatures  full  of  the 
joy  of  life  and  with  the  air  of  beings  who  know  no  other 
experience.  They  go  much  faster  than  the  Japanese,  are 
longer  limbed,  for  one  thing.  They  race  each  other  along 
the  streets,  running  like  madmen;  they  have  apparently 
no  rule  but  to  overcharge  foreigners  and  cheat  them  in 
making  change.  With  their  fellow  Chinamen  a long  parley 
of  bargaining  precedes  the  ride,  and  both  sides  stickle  for 
the  fraction  of  a cent. 

For  climbing  steep  hillsides  or  descending  rapid  slopes 
the  fare  in  Japan  generally  descends  and  walks,  partly 
for  safety — anyway  in  going  down  hill — as  a runaway 
rickisha  means  a pretty  unceremonious  tumble. 

The  exhilarating  moment  is  when  a party  of  six  or  eight 
set  forth,  each  supreme  in  his  rickisha,  and  string  out 
along  the  street  one  after  the  other.  If  the  morning  be 
fine  or  if  it  be  evening,  with  the  gay  little  lanterns  lighted, 
there  is  a curious  exaltation  goes  with  it.  There  are  rare 
rickishas  wide  enough  for  two,  but  the  problem  of  draught 
does  not  make  for  their  popularity — with  the  men.  Still 
two  laughing  Japanese  girls  and  a sturdy  kurumaya 
smiling  (under  the  circumstances)  make  an  enlivening 
picture. 

As  horse-drawn  vehicles  are  rare  in  any  part  of  Japan 
rickishas  loaded  with  your  luggage  (and  the  bags,  valises, 
suitcases,  cameras  and  packages  of  curios  show  an  uninter- 
rupted tendency  to  increase  as  you  travel)  turn  the  move- 
ments to  and  from  the  railroad  station  or  steamer  wharf 
and  your  hotel  into  a more  or  less  extraordinary  cavalcade. 
The  packages  in  jogging  along  show  a tendency  to  get  out 
and  walk,  as  it  were,  and  one  must  watch  them  in  per- 
plexity all  the  way.  I have  seen  many  a side-splitting  spill 
in  such  expeditions  and  suffered  agonies  for  my  upset 
belongings  in  others. 


. tup:  KITRUMA  OK  RU'KISHA.  JAPAN'S  GREAT  CARRIER 
. KAGO  OR  PALANQUIN,  OLDEST  STYLE  OE  CARRIAGE  IN  JAPAN 


@ Newman  Traveltalks  and  Brown  & Dawson.  N.  Y. 

KAGO  CHA,  \VIGKP:R  MOUNTAIN  CHAIR.  WITH  FOUR  FORTER.S 
-CROSSING  THK  HAKONE  HIU.S 


ON  WHEELS  IN  JAPAN 


185 


Landing  at  Yokohama  after  nightfall,  I had  my  first 
glimpse  of  the  streets  of  Japan  in  the  course  of  my  first 
rickisha  ride.  What  a new  world  j what  a mystic  revela- 
tion it  all  seemed.  Our  long  string  of  rickishas,  of  which 
mine  was  the  last,  each  with  its  dancing  vari-coloured  paper 
lantern  and  its  mushroom-hatted  little,  bent  kurumaya 
figure  pattering  in  front,  separating  themselves  from  the 
hundreds  of  similar  little  vehicles  with  bobbing  lights 
scattered  over  the  open  space  near  the  wharf,  soon  to  wind 
among  the  strange  looking,  dim-lit  streets  with  their 
sauntering  crowds  of  Orientals. 

So  new,  so  strangely  exciting,  the  open  shop  fronts,  the 
silent,  moving  people,  the  flaunting  signs  with  ideographic 
inscriptions,  the  darkness  falling  down  over  the  curved 
roofs,  the  piercing  sound  of  a single  flute  somewhere  play- 
ing a plaintive  melody,  the  only  sound  above  the  patter  of 
the  feet  of  the  runners  and  an  occasional  staccato  cry  of 
“Hi!  Hi  1”  as  they  encountered  other  rickishas  at  crossings. 
It  was  marvel  land  until  we  reached  the  semi-modernity  of 
the  railroad  station  for  Tokj'o. 

No,  we  did  not  go  just  then  to  the  Grand  Hotel.  An 
automobile  on  its  way  thither — only  one — shot  past  us  on 
the  street,  its  headlights  flashing  audaciously.  But  I made 
acquaintance  too  with  another  Oriental  sight  and  sound — a 
Japanese  crowd  moving  out  on  the  platforms  to  take  the 
train.  The  sober  darkness  of  the  raiment  of  men  and 
women  surprised  me,  relieved,  it  is  true,  by  the  occasional 
very  bright  colours — blue,  white,  orange,  red — worn  by 
children  and  growing  girls;  and,  since  it  was  a night  of 
muddy  streets,  the  sound  of  their  wooden  clogs  on  the  hard 
pavement,  tic,  toe,  tic,  toe,  tic,  toe,  in  half  a dozen  xylo- 
phone notes  by  hundreds  of  brisk  little  feet,  came  as  a 
complete  novelty. 

Of  other  modes  of  man-borne  conveyance  there  are  not 
many  surviving  in  the  cities.  I saw  an  ambulance  in 


186 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


Tokyo  taking  a sick  person  to  a hospital.  It  was  carried 
by  two  men  and  slung  from  a pole.  The  dark-green  cur- 
tains were  closely  drawn  around  the  portable  cot. 

Out  in  the  country,  however,  where  the  hills  are  too 
.steep  (and  where  are  they  not?)  the  kago,  or  litter,  sur- 
vives. This  was,  with  all  sorts  of  modifications  through 
the  centuries,  the  litter,  or  palanquin,  in  which  the  great 
of  the  land,  from  the  Emperor  or  shogun  or  higher  daimios 
down,  travelled  in  olden  times  through  the  country  or  any- 
where that  the  walking  was  difficult. 

It  is  simply  a short  hammock  hung  from  a bamboo  pole 
as  thick  as  one’s  wrist.  I sampled  one  at  Myanoshita  and 
took  a violent  dislike  to  it ; it  made  one  feel  too  much  like 
the  traditional  “cod  in  a pot”  for  prolonged  comfort.  The 
little  Japanese,  ladies  particularly,  liked  it.  To  me,  despite 
its  honourable  history,  it  also  seemed  humiliatingly  near 
the  ground. 

Of  a different  kind  are  the  travelling  chairs.  This  is 
simply  a wicker-work  armchair  carried  on  the  shoulders 
by  four  men  who  keep  step  but  give  it  a slightly  undulant 
movement.  They  change  shoulders  every  quarter  mile  or 
so,  first  giving  a shouted  signal,  whereat  all  lift  it  and 
change  together.  One  feels  like  an  Assyrian  king  or  a 
Roman  Pope  in  this  chair,  very  lofty  and  stately. 

When  they  carry  you  in  a path  about  three  feet  wide 
along  the  face  of  a cliff  with  a drop  of  several  hundred  feet 
below  you  and  the  mountain  wall  above,  it  may  comfort 
you  to  calculate  what  would  happen  if  the  off-bearer,  front 
or  rear,  lost  his  footing.  Whether  you  would  go  over  the 
edge  and  take  the  plunge  head  foremost  or  backward  would 
be  an  interesting  speculation.  Nevertheless  I enjoyed  it. 

True,  as  the  road  ascends  the  mountain  or  descends  it, 
in  long  zigzags  after  the  manner  of  mountain  roads,  it  was 
always  a bit  disconcerting  when  the  bearers  suddenly 
turned  and  took  a short  cut  to  clip  off  the  corners.  It 


ON  WHEELS  IN  JAPAN 


187 


meant  a tilting  up  of  the  fore-end  or  a dropping  down 
thereof  which  interfered  with  one’s  dignity  and  balance 
in  a way  most  unbefitting. 

Every  mile  or  so  they  set  their  burden  down  before  a 
wayside  tea  house  and  drink  your  health  in  the  golden 
green  beverage  out  of  little  cups,  and  you  are  expected  to 
do  the  same  while  dismounted  to  stretch  your  legs  and 
“take  the  view”  with  some  notable  historic  spot  in  the 
offing.  I remember  being  drawn  for  hours  on  a day  of 
rain,  by  a rather  old  kurumaya.  The  rain  dripped  from 
his  wide-brimmed  conical  hat,  his  clothes  were  soaked 
through,  he  steamed  literally  with  perspiration,  his  face 
was  a picture  of  utter  fatigue,  but  he  mustered  a smile  as 
I paid  for  his  dolorous  journey  more  than  he  asked.  I 
commiserated  him.  He  replied  cheerily:  “I  shall  have  my 
hot  bath  and  dry  clothes  in  ten  minutes  and  then  my 
supper,  Ah-h!”  A prolonged  chuckle  and  he  was  gone. 
You  could  not  beat  it.  I went  to  my  snug  room  wondering. 

The  electric  trolley,  as  I have  said,  is  extending  in  Japan 
to  the  gi’eat  joy  of  the  people.  There  is  a ticket  system, 
but  the  conductors  are  the  most  painstaking  of  officials 
and  make  elaborate  explanations  to  all  and  sundry  when- 
ever pricked  with  a question.  It  would  almost  seem  that  the 
officials  of  the  companies  had  selected  a certain  tjq)e  of 
little,  quick-witted,  direct-speaking  young  men,  who  waste 
no  words,  but  are  tireless  in  answering  everybody. 

In  Tokyo  they  are  learning  to  crowd  the  cars  on  the  most 
approved  American  principles,  with  often  deplorable 
effects  on  the  national  habits  of  courtesy.  The  rude 
democracy  of  the  street  car,  where  every  one  who  has 
paid  his  two  cents  feels  his  equality  with  his  neighbours, 
is  to  blame  for  this. 

The  pretty  young  Japanese  girl  gets  preferential  treat- 
ment there  as  elsewhere,  but  she  seldom  travels  alone.  The 
foreign  woman  who  does  must  submit  to  much  staring  by 


188 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


the  men  and  endlessly  curious  examination  of  her  clothes, 
shoes,  parcels  and  hairdressing  by  the  women.  Positive 
rudeness  they  rarely  meet  with,  but  it  seems  to  have 
occurred.  I never  noted  an  instance,  but  I saw  letters 
in  the  Yokohama  newspapers  about  it,  citing  unpleasant 
incidents. 

Bicycles,  whatever  vogue  they  may  have  had,  have  fallen 
to  about  the  same  lines  of  use  in  Japan  as  in  the  United 
States — mostly  as  adjuncts  to  business — shopkeepers’  as- 
sistants, messenger  boys  with  baskets,  tradesmen  with  tools, 
and,  apparently,  not  for  pleasure  or  touring  purposes. 

The  present  of  the  automobile  in  Japan  is  a modest  one. 
There  were  not  many  more  than  five  hundred  in  Tokyo  in 
1914  with  its  over  two  million  inhabitants.  They  were 
mostly  owned  by  the  very  rich  or  the  very  high  officials 
and  did  not  enter  even  as  the  motor  bus  into  popular 
traffic.  They  are  all  sizes  and  makes — American,  French, 
English,  German,  Italian.  They  are  mostly  big  cars  in  a 
country  of  the  little  things  of  life.  Latterly,  however,  they 
are  increasing  in  number. 

The  country  roads  are  mostly  narrow,  with  just  room 
for  two  carts,  and  I should  think  there  would  be  a future 
for  a light,  narrow  ear  seating  two  or  four.  For  the 
greater  part  the  city  streets  are  narrow  and  a passage 
through  them  is  a thing  of  continued  horn-tooting  and 
shouting  to  pedestrians  who  swarm  all  over  the  roadway, 
in  and  out  through  the  hundreds  of  man-drawn  little  carts. 
I have  Icnown  the  ear  in  which  I was  riding  to  be  halted 
until  a scornful,  erect  old  man  in  a tall  hat  and  a black 
haori  brought  his  speculative  mooning  in  the  middle  of 
the  road  to  an  end  and  at  last  strode  haughtily  out  of 
range  amid  the  prayers  of  the  tooting  chauffeur.  Children 
escape  by  miracle. 

Along  the  broader  avenues  that  now  are  piercing  the 
capital  in  every  direction  there  is  a chance  of  more  speed- 


ON  WHEELS  IN  JAPAN 


189 


In  crossing  the  town,  however,  detours  are  frequently  im- 
perative on  account  of  municipal  regulations  that  forbid 
this  route  or  that  for  official  reasons  to  vehicles.  Through 
the  crowds  going  to  the  Tokyo  exposition  on  the  evening  of 
a fete  of  wonderful  electric  illuminating  I went — in  the 
automobile  of  the  great  and  good  Buyei  Nakano — to  dine 
with  him  superbly  al  fresco  under  the  elms  at  Uyeno  Park. 
How  we  escaped  turning  the  motor  into  a car  of  juggernaut 
on  the  way  out  and  in  a higher  degree  in  driving  home  I 
shall  never  tell. 

It  was  as  thrilling,  I should  say,  as  a passage  on  a 
torpedo  boat  through  a hostile  fleet  over  waters  thickly 
strewn  with  mines — and  yet,  nothing  happened;  but  the 
men  who  jumped,  the  women  who  scrambled  and  the  babies 
whom  heaven  delivered  from  our  slow-turning  wheels  com- 
bined with  the  infernal  horn  to  keep  one’s  sensibilities  on 
a very  ragged  edge. 

It  seems  now  a grave  mistake  that  Japan’s  railways  are 
all  narrow  gauge — three  feet  six  inches  between  the  rails. 
With  roughly  six  thousand  miles  of  road  and  a full  equip- 
ment of  rolling  stock  the  conversion  to  standard  gauge 
would  be  very  costly.  It  will,  however,  be  done  in  time. 
The  promoters  of  a project  to  accomplish  it  have  been 
making  estimates  and  collecting  the  endless  statistics  in 
which  official  Japan  delights.  The  experiment  of  laying 
down  rails  at  the  standard  gauge  on  the  seven-foot  sleepers 
has  been  tried  lately.  On  many  of  the  roads  the  change 
might  not  cost  much,  but  tunnels  on  others  are  long  and 
frequent,  and  here  the  cost  is  naturally  greater  if  they 
have  to  be  widened.  It  is  felt,  moreover,  that  owing  to 
the  increase  of  freight  traffic  in  a war-time  of  ever-growing 
manufactures,  something  must  be  done.  The  roads  they 
built  in  Korea  and  the  road  they  inherited  from  the 
Russians  in  Manchuria  are  of  a wider,  Russian,  gauge. 

The  roads  are  nearly  all  government  owned,  national!- 


190 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


zation  having  been  brought  about  in  1904.  When  one 
recollects  that  the  first  roads  -were  laid  down  in  1872  one 
perceives  the  progress  that  has  been  made.  Undoubtedly 
there  is  economy  in  the  narrow  gauge.  It  takes  a lighter 
rail — sixty  pounds  has  so  far  sufficed,  and  a seventy-two 
pound  rail  where  traffic  is  unusually  heavy.  Engines  were 
formerly  imported  from  Great  Britain,  and  then  from  the 
United  States,  but  for  the  last  few  years  Japan  has  been 
making  her  own.  It  would  not  be  surprising  if  all  the 
roads  were  electrified  within  a few  years  as  water-power 
can  be  had  almost  anywhere  in  Japan,  and,  once  installed, 
costs  very  little. 

Outside  the  towns  railroad  building  presents  many  diffi- 
culties on  account  of  the  outrageously  hilly  topography. 
Hence  embankments  to  keep  the  valley  rivers  off  the  rail- 
road tracks  in  times  of  flood  and  tunnels  to  pierce  hills 
otherwise  untraversable  are  frequent  and  expensive  fea- 
tures— the  railroad  through  the  Hakone  range  being  an 
instance  in  point.  It  makes,  however,  for  lovely  scenery 
of  wood  and  water,  mount  and  valley,  with  every  variety 
of  vegetation  and  variety  of  crops  in  suddenly  flashing 
vistas. 

It  was  from  a ear  window  on  the  trip  to  Kyoto  that  I 
first  saw  Fujiyama,  a distant  vision  high  in  the  sky,  beau- 
tifully snow-crowned.  In  a few  minutes,  at  a turn  of  the 
road,  it  was  gone. 

In  one  strip  of  railroad  to  Karuisawa,  the  inland 
mountain  summer  resort  near  Nikko  so  popular  now  with 
foreigners,  there  is  a strip  of  road  that  has  been  funicu- 
larized  using  special  engines.  Tokyo  now  boasts  one  im- 
posing central  terminal  railroad  building,  which  rises  in 
the  heart  of  the  city  facing  the  imperial  palace  (at  a 
distance  of  a third  of  a mile),  taking  the  place  of  the  old 
Shimbashi  terminal  known  to  Tokyese  and  tourists  for 
many  years.  It  is  one  thousand  one  hundred  feet  long  and 


ON  WHEELS  IN  JAPAN 


191 


architecturally  recalls  the  old  Grand  Central  Depot  of 
New  York,  in  its  red  brick  with  granite  trim  and  general 
outline.  It  has  brought  into  sudden  vivid  life  a stretch  of 
ground  long  given  over  to  sand  heaps  and  desolation,  and 
is  a real  metropolitan  improvement. 

To  the  ordinary  traveller  statistics  are  negligible,  and  I 
shall  inflict  them  as  sparingly  as  possible  on  my  readers. 
The  service  organization  is  admirable,  with  officials  multi- 
plied and  politeness  everywhere.  Fares,  too,  are  low, 
according  to  American  standards,  or  European  for  the 
matter  of  that. 

There  are  three  classes  of  cars.  The  rates  are  based  on 
the  third  class,  and  are  lower  on  the  long  runs  than  on  the 
short — the  further  you  travel  the  cheaper  you  go.  Second- 
class  fare  is  one  and  a half  times  the  third-class  fare,  and 
first-class  costs  four  times  as  much.  First-class  for  the 
short  hauls  is  three  and  one-quarter  cents  of  our  money  a 
mile,  and'  less  than  two  cents  for  the  longest — over  three 
hundred  miles. 

The  third-class  person  travels  for  8.25  mills  a mile  for 
fifty  miles,  and  if  he  goes  to  three  hundred  miles  his  rate 
has  come  down  4.50  mills  a mile — cheap  enough.  By  third 
class  travel  eight  hundred  and  thirty-seven  out  of  every 
one  thousand  passengers ; by  second  class,  one  hundred  and 
forty-one,  and  by  first  class,  only  twenty-two.  Foreign 
tourists,  it  may  be  said,  nearly  always  travel  first  class; 
but,  as  in  Europe,  the  resident  foreigner  and  the  bulk  of 
the  commercial  and  professional  people  go  second  class. 

There  is  mostly  a difference  in  upholstery  physically 
between  the  first  and  second-class  cars,  but,  naturally,  there 
is  less  crowding  in  the  first  class,  and  when  one  learns  how 
much  baggage  one  has  to  dispose  of  around  one,  space 
becomes  a necessity  worth  paying  for.  It  may  be  noted  as 
a sign  of  the  growth  of  a middle  class  in  Japan  that  there 
is  a steady  growth  in  the  second-class  travel,  although  there 


192 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


is  no  falling  off  in  the  third  class  nor  any  sign  of  increase 
in  the  first  class.  The  ordinary  trains  appear  to  be  made 
up  and  run  on  the  ratio  that  fills  the  third  class  to  over- 
flowing. In  the  long-haul  de  luxe  trains  there  are  only 
first  and  second-class  sleepers,  but  there  are  an  observation 
car  and  a dining  car. 

All  aboard!  You  have  bought  your  ticket,  a red-cap 
porter  with  the  superfluous  legend  “boy”  embroidered  on 
his  collar  has  possessed  himself  of  your  parcels,  bags,  suit- 
eases,  camera,  typewriter,  overcoat  and  cane  or  umbrella 
if  you  will  surrender  it.  It  was  always  a wonder  to  me  not 
only  how  much  these  lively  young  chaps  can  earr}' 
as  to  weight  and  bulk,  but  how  many  items  they  can 
dispose  of. 

They  use  a strap  on  which  to  string  your  beloved 
itinerary  items,  but  they  seem  to  have  at  least  four  hands 
and  three  or  four  shoulders.  And  they  run  off  with  the 
burden,  pack  it  neatly  around  your  seat  and  on  the  shelf 
above  you  and  look  unutterably  grateful  for  a ten-sen  piece, 
which  is  a nickel  in  our  money. 

When  you  arrive  at  your  station  you  clap  your  hands. 
One  red  cap  is  at  your  elbow  and  another  on  the  platform. 
The  first  lowers  a window,  passes  all  the  pieces  to  the 
“boy”  outside,  who  hurries  off  with  them  to  the  carriage 
or  riekisha  or  auto  waiting  for  you  outside  the  station. 
They  are  a blessing.  Your  trunks,  if  you  have  them,  you 
recover  without  much  trouble — they  have  been  checked  to 
your  destination,  but  I have  found  it  advisable  where  a 
change  of  cars  occurs  to  see  that  the  transfer  is  effected 
just  as  one  may  well  do  in  America. 

In  the  first  class  your  fellow  travellers,  when  Japanese, 
are  apt  to  be  very  reserved  in  manner.  You  surrender  your 
ticket  as  you  leave  the  station.  The  seats  are  all  longi- 
tudinal and  very  deep  for  a good  reason — that  the  natives 
invariably  squat  on  them.  Not  in  vain  must  the  very] 


HUMOURS  OK  TRAVEL  IN  TOKYO 
The  Conductor  : — ■ Uet  inside,  idease  !” 


1.  “THE  MUST  CLASS  CAR*' 

Tliis  Clever  Sketch  is  One  of  a Xumber  Illustrative  of  Modern  Japanese 
Life,  made  for  the  Tokyo  Times  by  Miss  Elizabeth  Keith 

2.  TRIALS  OK  TRAVEL— THE  SXORER 

By  Miss  Elizabeth  Keith  for  the  Tokyo  Times 


ON  WHEELS  IN  JAPAN  193 

precise  army  colonel  or  general  pay  four  times  the  third- 
class  fare. 

On  entering  he  spreads  a robe  or  rug  upon  the  seat, 
taking  up  enough  sitting  room  for  three,  and  woe  to  the 
inconsiderate  fellow  traveller  who  trespasses  an  inch 
thereon.  He  literally  holds  the  fort  against  all  comers 
with  a severe,  touch-me-not  air. 

The  prosperous,  roly-poly  merchant  or  banker  spreads 
his  rug  and  takes  genial  possession  of  as  great  a width,  but 
in  the  spirit  of  “come  share  my  joy  with  me,  but  keep  off 
my  rug.  ’ ’ Off  come  his  shoes  or  clogs,  displaying  his  white 
kidlike  stockings  with  the  separated  big  toe.  He  is  at  ease 
in  a minute. 

The  Japanese  ladies  sometimes  sit  European  fashion,  but 
are  and  look  more  at  ease  curled  up  native  fashion  on  the 
seats.  The  children — little  balls  of  live  colour — romp 
about  as  they  da  everywhere.  The  tourists  need  not  be 
described;  they  arc  the  same  the  world  over;  they  read 
omnivorously  and  hunt  over  their  guidebooks. 

Food,  daintily  prepared  in  lacquered  boxes,  is  a part  of 
every  outfit,  and  there  must  be  something  appetizing  to 
the  Japanese  in  railroad  travel,  for  they  are  apt  to  be 
eating  or  smoking  most  of  the  time  in  transit.  The  fact 
of  a dining  car  interferes  little  or  nothing  with  the  festal 
feeding.  For  a yen  you  may  breakfast  well  or  sup  and 
for  a yen  and  a quarter  you  can  dine  fairly  and  neatly  on 
the  longer  trips,  and  you  can  eat  or  drink  tea  or  beer  all 
day  a la  carte. 

Second-class  travel  is  much  like  first,  a little  more  com- 
pressed as  to  space  taken.  They  lounge,  sleep,  eat,  smoke 
more  enthusiastically  and  look  more  picturesque  and  more 
at  home.  As  to  the  third  class,  generally  jammed  with  all 
generations,  they  huddle,  squat,  eat,  sleep  and  enjoy  a 
journey  with  gusto.  In  the  third  class  too  they  travel  in 
jolly  crowds.  Groups  of  gay  pilgrims  from  particular 


194 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


villages  abound — as  many  as  fifty  in  a bunch — men  and 
women.  They  are  having  the  time  of  their  lives  on  the 
bare  wooden  seats. 

One  of  the  distinctive  things  about  the  larger,  more  im- 
portant stations  is  the  chorus  of  song  that  goes  up  as  the 
train  draws  in.  A couple  of  dozen  young  vendors  of  eat- 
ables and  drinkables,  books,  newspapers,  trinkets,  souvenirs, 
post  cards  and  so  on,  each  with  his  particular  cry  gives 
voice  to  it  in  song.  It  has  a weird  sound  to  Occidental 
cars,  but  I am  sure  one  would  miss  it  much  if  by  a spasm 
of  progress  it  was  suppressed. 

Heads  pop  out  of  the  third-class  windows.  Numbers 
descend  from  the  train  and  besiege  the  vendors,  while 
others  rush  to  the  great  ablutionary  tank  to  be  found  in 
all  large  stations  and  wash  hands  and  face,  drying 
them  on  handkerchiefs  or  pocket  towels  and  rush  back 
again.  A cheap  tea,  bancha,  is  sold  with  a clay  pot 
and  clay  cup,  all  ready  to  be  taken  aboard  and  con- 
sumed, for  ten  sen;  neat  boxes,  ben  to,  of  boiled  rice 
and  beans,  large  oranges,  not  verj'^  sweet  or  juicy,  fried 
fish,  sandwiches,  rice  cakes,  bean  sweets  are  among  the 
offerings. 

The  car  cleaners  have  been  at  work  sweeping,  washing 
and  wiping  the  windows  and  platforms,  refilling  the  water 
tanks.  And  so  the  passengers  are  recalled,  cigarettes  are 
lighted  or  the  little  six-puff  pipes  get  their  pinch  of  tobacco 
and  give  off  their  curls  of  smoke,  and  the  train  is  off. 
Women  of  the  poorer  classes  are  much  addicted  to  these 
little  pipes,  and  they  will  fill  and  puff  them  out  a dozen 
times  in  an  afternoon. 

One  thing  is  notable  at  all  stations,  namely  the  number 
of  bi-lingual  notices.  Every  spot  in  Japan  has  either  a 
place  in  history  or  is  very  near  one,  and  thus  it  is  that 
under  the  heading  of  “Places  of  Interest”  you  will  find  a 
placard  telling  you  in  English  and  Japanese  how  far  it  is 


ON  WHEELS  IN  JAPAN  195 

to  this  or  that  gorge,  waterfall,  castle,  temple,  mountain, 
lake  or  picturesque  valley. 

On  every  train  there  is  supposed  to  be  an  interpreter 
who  can  more  or  less  illume  the  way  for  the  traveller.  He 
generally  knows  a little  English,  enough  to  help  on  the 
ordinary  railroad  questions,  and  it  is  side-splitting  at  times 
to  behold  some  confiding  tourist  addressing  him  at  length 
on  the  insufficiency  of  Japanese  provision  for  the  wants  of 
foreigners  like  himself,  to  all  of  which  the  little  official 
listens  with  a benevolent  smile,  a nod  of  the  head  and  a 
funny  little  grunt  at  the  apparent  end  of  the  sentences, 
but  not  of  the  discourse. 

The  nod  is  to  say  “Go  on,  good  honourable  friend,”  and 
the  grunt  expresses  a grave  wonder  as  to  what  it  is  all 
about.  “Very  intelligent,  indeed,”  was  the  sage  remark 
after  an  address  of  ten  minutes  to  a suffering  interpreter 
of  which  the  latter  confessed  later  an  entire  ignorance, 
saying;  “That  man  speak  very  well:  much:  good  enough 
for  Japanese  man  who  get  four  time  my  salary.”  An 
ingenious  idea  surely. 

In  the  observation  car  things  go  better  than  elsewhere 
for  the  tourist.  They  mingle,  and  people  who  have  passed 
each  other  in  hotel  corridors  and  dining  rooms  for  a week 
without  a sign  of  recognition  become  human  once  more 
when  indulging  a collective  glance  at  the  passing  landscape. 
Then  wonderful  pieces  of  guide-book  lore  break  loose,  and 
personal  views  are  hazarded  that  would  provoke  a smile  on 
the  face  of  the  great  Daibutsu,  which  has  kept  a straight 
face  for  nearly  eight  hundred  years.  Mrs.  Malaprop  comes 
to  life:  “I  was  taken  in  to  the  tea  ceremony;  it  was  cer- 
tainly umbilicus,  although  on  the  whole  tiresome.  ’ ’ No  one 
presumed  to  differ.  “Near  Nara  I saw  a priest  dancing 
like  a prawn  ’ ’ was  another  effort. 

Still  it  is  in  the  observation  car  that  the  ends  of  the  earth 
come  together.  In  one  we  were  American,  Australian, 


196 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


Russian,  German,  French,  South  American — and  Japanese, 
and  managed  to  find  in  one  way  or  another  what  the  object 
of  the  journey  was.  They  do  not  send  men  around  to 
shout  last  call  for  dinner.  Instead  they  hand  around  little 
leaflets  on  thin  paper  stating  that  dinner  is  served,  but 
“the  meal  will  not  be  started  until  all  are  there” — a rule, 
however  good  in  itself,  not  strictly  observed. 

The  narrow  gauge  mth  its  consequent  narrowing  of  the 
cars  creates  difficulties  about  the  different  accommodations 
that  Japanese  ingenuity  overcomes  very  cleverly  with  much 
mechanical  folding  and  unfolding  and  turning  up  and 
turning  down.  In  the  sleeping  cars  the  upper  berths  are 
wider  than  the  lower  ones.  In  the  latter  the  bed  is  made 
up  on  the  regular  seat. 

We  had  to  travel  once  from  Kobe  to  Tokyo  second  class. 
The  train  was  crowded  and  it  was  a trying  experience  in 
every  way,  yet  a most  dignified  old  missionary  with  quite 
an  episcopal  air  sailed  through  it  all  in  an  upper  berth  with 
a tranquillity  and  seemliness  that  were  enviable.  It  repaid 
one  somewhat  to  see  a bishop  in  his  shirt  sleeves  washing 
his  face.  Such  is  the  weakness  of  hiiman  nature  in  the 
effort  to  console  oneself  for  loss  of  dignity  in  dressing 
scramblingly  amid  drummers  and  such  after  a night  of 
fitful  trouble. 

If  you  want  to  see  a well-managed,  commodious  road  com- 
mend me  to  the  South  Manchuria  Railroad.  Fine  trains, 
every  modern  appliance  and  resource,  excellent  service, 
good  fare  and  good  speed  make  a journey  truly  enjoyable 
between  Port  Arthur  and  Mukden.  The  same  is  mainly 
true  of  the  main  line  in  Korea  from  Fusan  to  Antung,  but 
the  South  Manchurian  seems  to  me  to  have  the  best 
of  it. 

As  to  how  they  pay  I may  say  that  they  are  all  govern- 
ment lines.  Their  financing  shows  a profit  of  over  eight 
per  cent,  over  all  charges.  They  charge  to  the  full  what 


ON  WHEELS  IN  JAPAN 


197 


the  traffic  will  honestly  bear;  the  vendors  who  sell  eatables 
and  so  on  at  the  stations  contribute,  for  instance,  over 
$30,000  a year  in  what  are  called  “levies.”  It  makes 
very  small  charge  for  each,  but,  as  we  see,  it  totals 
handsomely. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


THE  REAL  GEISHA 

The  sublimated  waitress  of  Japan — Her  dancing  and  singing — 
The  geisha  processions — How  she  serves  and  waits — The 
Harvest  Dance,  Fisherman’s  Dance,  Spider  Dance,  Lion 
Dance  samples  of  her  skill — A night  with  actors — Her  train- 
ing begins  at  twelve  years  old — Hard  work — In  public  festi- 
vals— Protecting  the  girls — Costly  acquaintances — Sometimes 
marry  into  society — Not  to  be  confused  with  tea-house  girls. 

The  geisha  or  singing  girl  to  the  “Western”  mind  fills  out 
the  romantic  ideal  of  modern  Japan.  To  the  native  she  is 
simply  a sublimated  waitress  with  dancing  and  singing 
trimmings,  but  she  is  also  a chosen  vehicle  of  Japanese 
romance.  Visions  of  her  dressed  in  showy  silken  robes 
waving  a large  fan,  her  black  hair  marvellously  coifed,  a 
fixed  smile  on  her  face  and  moving  in  rhythmic  steps  with 
a special  flowing  elegance  of  gesture,  rise  before  those  who 
have  seen  her  at  her  high  functions.  Ever  to  the  accom- 
paniment of  the  tinkling  strings  of  the  samisen  and  the 
dull  beat  of  the  tsuzumi  that  picture  comes  back  to  the 
foreigner  as  the  flower  of  his  reminiscence  of  Japan. 

The  flgure  appeals  to  the  artistic  sense  wholly.  One 
dissociates  her  from  the  girl  who  has  been  kneeling  before 
you  on  the  opposite  side  of  your  lacquered  tray  with  its 
pretty  bowls  of  strange  and  dainty  food,  waiting  on  your 
slightest  movement  as  you  never  have  been  waited  on,  with 
laughing  eyes,  smiling  mouth  and  arching  of  her  neck  as 
well  as  with  quick,  efficient  fingers.  She  is,  as  you  are 
probably  aware,  an  old  institution,  originated  seven  een- 

198 


THE  REAL  GEISHA 


199 


turies  ago  by  the  terrible  Fujiwara  Michinori  in  his  gentler 
moments  as  the  Shirabyoshi  or  white  treaders  of  measures 
(in  Lochinvar  phrase)  to  grace  banquets  and  festivals. 
Later  combining  attendance  on  guests  with  the  stately 
saltation  of  the  East. 

When  you  think  of  it,  the  artistic  sense  of  the  nation 
must  have  been  acute,  when  it  conceived  the  notion  of 
calling  in  womah’s  beauty,  the  gift  of  song,  the  poetry  of 
the  dance,  the  gleam  of  wit  and  the  glow  of  colour  to  drape 
withal  the  prosaic  duty  of  ser\dng  food.  You  can  judge 
the  difference,  if  you  set  forth  to  imagine  a dozen  of  our 
stiff  male  restaurant  waiters  in  their  ghastly  garments, 
suspending  the  service  of  the  courses  to  entertain  one  with 
a song  and  dance. 

I recall  nothing  of  the  pageantry  of  Japan  with  a more 
immediate  appeal  to  joyous  admiration  than  the  formal 
entry  of  a score  of  geishas  in  ranks  of  four  to  wait  upon 
a score  of  guests  in  that  delectable  restaurant,  the  Tokiowa 
— the  Delmonico's  of  the  Japanese  capital.  Toward  the 
upper  end  of  the  large  oblong  room  we  were  seated  on  the 
mats  and  resting  on  soft  cushions  of  satin  brocade  in  the 
customary  three-sided  line, — that  is,  with  the  fourth  side 
of  the  square  open  to  the  lower  end,  of  the  room.  Con- 
versation was  running  airily  along  among  the  guests,  when 
suddenly  there  was  silence,  and  then  murmurs  of  admira- 
tion as  the  splendid  company  of  geishas  wheeling  in  lines 
of  four  from  the  side  entrances  at  the  further  end  moved 
slowly  forward  down  the  centre  with  a marvellous  rhythmic 
stride,  each  bearing  a tray  of  scarlet  lacquer.  Such  a com- 
pany of  bright,  smiling,  youthful  faces  of  pure  Oriental 
oval,  surmounted  by  coronets  of  glossy  black  hair,  puffed, 
interwoven  and  adoi’ned  with  many  pins,  their  flowing 
kimonos  of  brilliant  brocade,  their  still  brighter  obis  and 
their  white-shod  feet!  Bloom  of  beauty  and  youth  in 
gorgeous  array  were  ushering  in  the  feast.  Lucullus  nor 


200 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


any  luxurious  Roman  of  his  time  could  have  produced  any 
finer  prelude  to  a high  repast. 

With  almost  military  precision  our  geishas,  as  they 
advanced,  wheeled  so  that  in  an  instant  their  line  was 
facing  ours,  smiling  do^vn  on  us.  In  another  instant  all 
were  on  their  knees  facing  each  a guest,  and  depositing 
before  him  their  precious  trays  laden  with  good  things. 
My  geisha  was  a little  beauty  of  scant  eighteen,  and  touch- 
ing her  forehead  to  the  floor  she  sat  up  and,  leaning  back- 
ward on  her  heels,  helped  me  from  the  tray.  Closer  seen 
she  is  observed  to  be  powdered  and  rouged,  her  lips  painted 
scarlet,  and  otherwise  facially  a work  of  art  with  fine 
touches  and  shadings  beyond  mere  man  to  describe,  from 
the  convolutions  of  her  lustrous  hair  to  her  slender,  mani- 
cured finger-tips. 

Beyond  this  grace  and  efficiency  of  service,  the  geisha  at 
the  feast  does  not  progress  much  farther  with  the  foreigner, 
unless  he  can  speak  Japanese.  The  girls  seldom  learn  any 
outland  tongue.  I remember  one  at  Osaka  sent  for  by  my 
host  because  it  was  said  she  spoke  English.  Alas!  a score 
or  two  of  words,  some  a little  rowdy,  was  her  whole  bi- 
lingual store,  reflecting,  like  the  sailor’s  parrot,  more  upon 
his  teacher  than  on  the  vicar’s  sister,  who  owned  the  bird. 
“You  lak  Japan  damfine,  eh?”  was  her  somewhat  discon- 
certing ingratiating  salutation.  For  the  rest  it  was  “goF 
watch,”  “good  morneen,”  “old  top,”  “git  tout,”  “solong, 
gooby ! ’ ’ without  any  relevance  that  I could  discover.  The 
bewitching,  knowing  smile  that  went  with  each  of  these  was, 
however,  worth  something  to  witness. 

To  the  native  guest  at  a wholly  native  banquet  she  is  but 
little  different.  Great  discretion  and  perfect  routine  of 
service  mark  her  at  the  beginning  of  the  feast.  Her  bright 
eyes  divine  every  wish.  She  pours  the  sake  with  a pretty 
gesture  into  the  little  saucer.  If  it  is  offered  to  her,  she 
touches  it  modestly  with  her  lips,  rarely  drinking  it.  She 


THE  REAL  GEISHA 


201 


empties  it  deftly,  however,  and  rinses  it  in  a silver  bowl 
of  clear  water,  returns  it  to  the  guest  and  refills  it.  Sake 
tastes  like  weak  sherry  but  alcoholically  is,  I think,  some- 
thing stronger.  It  would  take  many  of  the  little  cupfuls  I 
should  say  to  produce  an  intoxicating  effect,  but  short  of 
that  a loosening  of  the  tongue  follows  its  repetition,  and 
your  dignified  banker  or  merchant  or  high  official  is  before 
long  including  his  attendant  geisha  in  his  chatter  with  his 
neighbours  at  the  feast.  Then  the  geisha,  like  the  Roman 
slaves  in  the  Lupinaria,  allows  herself  a pretty  pertness, 
and  often  with  a phrase  of  repartee  sets  a whole  row 
roaring  with  laughter  at  somebody’s  expense.  For  this 
quality  the  geisha  are  celebrated.  The  humour  is  almost 
wholly  harmless,  and  its  tang  of  personality  is  derived  gen- 
erally from  something  in  the  guest’s  personal  appearance 
— corpulency,  thinness,  baldness  and  so  on.  Even  great 
men  treat  this  freedom  indulgently.  It  is  not  unknown 
that  the  native  guest  should  pat  a geisha  under  the  chin 
at  a late  hour  of  the  evening,  but  they  resent  freedom  of 
touch  with  prompt  indignation.  Their  aloofness  in  this 
respect  is  indeed  part  of  their  stock  in  trade.  Remember 
that  they  are  hired  to  wait  at  private  houses  five  times  as 
often  as  at  public  banquets  and  “a  girl  must  take  care  of 
her  character,  or  she  is  done  for.” 

The  routine  of  the  feast  varies  little.  Course  follows 
course  at  the  dinner  for  an  hour  or  more,  each  course  being 
served  with  great  formality.  At  length  the  geishas  dis- 
appear, and  after  a short  interval  three  or  four  or  five 
women  something  older  than  the  serving  geishas  and  more 
soberly  garbed  enter  bearing  musical  instruments,  samisens 
— three-stringed  banjos — or  small  drums — tsuzumi — to  be 
struck  sharply  with  the  fingers.  They  play  and  sing.  The 
music  is  stringy,  tinkling  stuff,  and  the  voices  thrill  with 
a tang  of  pathos,  rarely  resonant.  Presently  the  bevy  of 
geishas,  often  newly  and  more  splendidly  robed  than  ever, 


202 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


enter  in  slow,  measured  dancing  steps  with  waving  of  arms 
and  fans  and  perform  one  of  the  many  score  of  narrative 
dances  in  their  repertoire.  The  dance  tells  a story  sym- 
bolically, and  is  of  great  interest  to  the  native  onlooker. 
As  every  actor  of  the  olden  days  aspired  to  play  Hamlet, 
and  every  elocution  teacher  of  stage  people  in  England  and 
America  teaches  all  his  girl  pupils  how  to  play  Juliet,  so 
every  geisha  knows  the  Harvest  Dance,  the  Fisherman’s 
Dance,  the  Spider  Dance  and  the  Lion  Dance,  as  the  mere 
beginning  of  all  she  knows.  With  each  dance  goes  a song 
which  she  must  either  sing  herself  or  dance  to  it  on  the  lips 
of  one  of  the  singing  maiko  as  the  retired  geishas  are  called, 
and  as  every  step  and  gesture  of  the  classic  story  is  tradi- 
tional and  known,  she  measures  up  against  the  past  and 
the  present  with  every  turn  and  motion.  In  the  Harvest 
Dance  all  the  motions  of  reaping  and  stacking  the  ripe 
grain,  of  threshing  and  winnowing,  of  sacking  and  weigh- 
ing the  rice  is  shown  in  a poetic  way.  So  with  the  Fisher- 
man’s  Dance,  all  the  swing  of  the  sailor  and  art  of  the 
fisher  are  ingeniously  idealized. 

The  Spider  Dance  is  very  elaborate  and  requires  numbers 
and  particular  skill.  A young  Prince  is  sick  and  ailing 
and  nothing  will  do  him  any  good,  for  he  has  fallen  in 
love  with  a beautiful  spider  who  is  sapping  his  life  away 
with  her  baleful  arts.  A brave  young  samurai  believes  he 
can  rescue  the  Prince  and  resolves  to  do  so.  Then  ensues 
a combat  of  craft  against  daring.  At  a certain  point  the 
beautiful  spider  throws  a golden  mesh,  a veritable  shower 
of  airy  gold  that  the  young  champion  barely  avoids.  The 
combat  is  renewed  with  great  vigour  until  the  spider  is 
wounded  and  at  last  killed,  when  the  young  Prince  is  cured 
and  freed  of  all  his  woes.  This  is  a delightfully  elaborate 
dance,  and  as  I saw  it  performed  at  the  Maple  Club  in 
Tokyo  before  a highly  critical  audience  of  theatre  managers 
with  Yamomoto  of  the  Imperial  Theatre  at  their  head,  it 


THE  REAL  GEISHA 


203 


was  specially  fetching  and  won  great  applause.  The  Lion 
Dance  is  perhaps  the  most  popular  of  all.  A young  wife  is 
left  alone  all  day  and  every  day  by  her  husband  who  is 
absorbed  in  his  business  and  devoted  to  his  own  pleasures. 
A young  man  of  handsome  bearing  discovers  this  neglected 
lady  and  attempts  to  pay  court  to  her.  She  is  so  good, 
however,  that  she  will  not  listen  to  him.  She  not  only  dis- 
courages his  advances  but  threatens  him  with  her  absent 
husband.  The  handsome  young  man  is  neither  frightened 
nor,  sad  to  say,  abashed.  He  disappears  for  a moment,  and 
the  good  young  wife  shows  unmistakably  her  great  sense  of 
relief.  In  a short  time  it  appears  that  her  joy  was  pre- 
mature, for  the  persistent  lover  has  returned  disguised  as 
a lion.  Oh,  a very  terrible  and  at  the  same  time  attractive 
lion!  So  far  from  showing  his  teeth  or  springing  at  her 
with  paw  and  jaw,  he  disports  himself  most  amiably,  long 
streamers  of  golden  tissue  covering  all  his  body  and 
sparkling  along  the  ground  as  he  moves  nearer  and  nearer 
to  her  in  a narrowing  circle.  She  becomes  gradually  be- 
wildered by  the  brave  showing  of  leonine  strength  and 
beauty.  All  this  lustrous  and  bewitching  attention  for 
one  so  neglected!  At  last  the  lion  reveals  himself  as  the 
lover,  and — the  audience  really  seems  not  to  blame  her 
severely — she  allows  him  to  throw  his  lion  mantle  around 
her  and  lead  her  away — a warning  to  all  selfish  husbands 
who  neglect  devoted  and  good-looking  young  wives.  It  is 
all  very  delicately  and  artistically  done. 

When  the  dances  and  singing  are  over  the  banquet  is 
resumed,  and  the  geishas  returning  to  their  posts  as 
waitresses  are  made  much  of  by  the  company  according  to 
their  artistic  deserts.  At  the  Maple  Club  banquet,  which 
was  an  exceptional  affair  in  the  artistic  quality  of  the 
guests,  my  geisha  was  the  lady  who  took  the  lively  part 
of  the  spider  and  her  name  was  Bells  in  Japanese.  She 
was  a whole  chime  of  gaiety  and  grace.  The  final  dish  of 


204 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


rice  and  tea  was  served  amid  much  good  humour.  Some  of 
the  younger  managers  who  had  been  actors  in  their  time, 
at  the  urging  of  their  companions,  shed  their  kimonos,  tied 
napkins  around  their  heads,  otherwise  hastily  making  up 
into  something  like  Neapolitan  fishermen,  and  then  danced 
comic  dances  with  the  geishas  to  the  uncontrollable  mirth 
and  delight  of  the  girls.  At  about  eleven  o’clock  some 
signal  was  given,  and  all  the  geishas  were  gone. 

At  another  dinner,  one  given  at  Kyoto,  a young  Ameri- 
can of  the  company,  under  the  encouragement  of  the 
Japanese  gentlemen  present,  essayed  to  teach  the  one-step 
to  the  geishas.  The  result  was  extremely  comical.  The 
geisha  wears  no  heels  on  her  white  shoes  and  never  dances 
on  her  toes.  Her  dancing  is  just  flat-foot  stepping  in 
perfect  rhythm,  and  her  grace  and  harmony  reside  in 
movements  of  hip,  body  and  arms  of  the  chastest  character, 
there  not  being  a trace  of  the  suggestion  that  we  know  as 
of  Egypt  or  any  other  part  of  Africa  or  southern  Europe. 
A geisha  trying  to  rise  on  her  toes  and  hop  in  the  one-step 
was  so  disturbed  that  her  elaborate  coiffure  was  shaken  to 
its  under-pinning,  and  the  rest  of  the  girls  laughed  almost 
to  hysteria.  The  young  American  thought  he  might  suc- 
ceed in  teaching  the  American  dance  if  given  time,  but  the 
girls  thought  the  motion  too  ridiculous  for  words. 

Inasmuch  as  the  wives  of  Japan  are  great  home  bodies, 
and  the  grown  daughters  of  private  families  are  very  much 
sheltered  from  outside  influence,  not  to  say  adventure,  the 
geisha  takes  the  place  in  Japanese  literature  of  the  adven- 
turous, hence  the  romantic  female.  She  is  the  heroine  of 
a thousand  stories  in  which  woman’s  wit  achieves  triumph 
over  astounding  difficulties,  in  which  woman’s  love  endures 
trial  and  suffering,  even  death.  The  geisha  too  fills  an 
artistic  niche  in  the  modern  world  little  known:  she  poses 
for  all  the  modern  photographic  reproductions  of  the 
female  form  divine.  The  woman  in  private  life  would  feel 


THE  REAL  GEISHA 


205 


herself  curiously  degraded  if  her  face  were  put  up  for  sale 
in  shop  or  store,  which  is  perhaps  a sufficing  reason  for  her 
leaving  the  task  to  the  geisha.  To  the  photographer,  how- 
ever, it  is  a saving  grace.  He  secures  charm  and  beauty. 
Hence  when  you  buy  some  wonderful  Japanese  photograph 
of  family  life,  a tender  mothen  and  her  baby,  a lady  of 
quality  in  a garden  or  in  a rickisha,  a group  of  refined 
maidens  frolicking  under  the  cherry  blooms,  it  is  the  geisha 
who  supplies  the  model,  modifying  her  hairdressing,  her 
garb  and  her  expression  to  suit  the  occasion.  Sooth  to  say 
the  varying  of  expression  for  art  purposes  in  women’s  faces 
in  Japan  is  exceedingly  limited  in  range.  However  the 
great  artists  of  the  colour-print  school  of  the  eighteenth 
and  nineteenth  centuries  depicted  character  and  calling  in 
the  faces  of  men,  even  they  did  little  in  differentiating  the 
faces  of  women  from  the  traditional  expressionless  face  of 
the  classical  period.  And  the  artists  of  today  do  little 
more.  The  laughing  face  of  a girl  so  full  of  innocent  mirth 
and  the  joy  of  living  that  has  sold  by  tens  of  thousands  in 
Japan  is  the  snapshot  of  a geisha. 

Some  American  travellers  have  told  their  public  how 
they  mistook  ordinary  tea-house  waitresses  and  even 
licensed  girls  of  ill-fame  for  geishas.  Unless  you  dower 
the  tourist  with  great  stupidity  such  confusion  is  un- 
pardonable. At  any  rate,  the  tourists’  prurience  is 
mostly  to  blame,  and  not  the  geisha.  Not  even  the  glib  and 
picturesque  hanger-on  of  a Yokohama  hotel  with  all  his 
desire  to  make  a little  dirty  money  debauching  the 
“Western”  traveller,  will  describe  any  of  the  women  noted 
above  as  geishas.  Nor  will  the  poorest  kurumaya  “with 
varicose  veins  in  his  tired  brown  legs”  as  one  traveller 
delicately  describes  his  Yokohama  rickisha  man,  try  to 
palm  off  on  a foreigner  any  ordinary  servant  girl  or  woman 
as  a geisha. 

The  geisha  as  we  see  her  at  her  best  is  the  product  of 


206 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


many  years  of  training  and  culture.  She  preserves  and 
perpetuates  the  classic  type  of  female  beauty  in  Japan, 
which  is  more  to  the  purpose  than  that  they  wait  wonder- 
fully at  table  and  sing  and  dance  picturesquely.  And  they 
spring  almost  entirely  from  the  poorer  classes.  Wherever 
through  the  islands  of  Nippon  a poor  mother  bears  a 
daughter  an  early  thought  about  her  is  apt  to  be,  is  she 
beautiful  enough  to  be  a geisha  when  she  grows  up?  If 
she  really  is  a beautiful  child,  the  neighbours  have  their 
say  and  urge  the  mother  not  to  deny  her  daughter  her 
chance  in  life,  for  at  rare  times  they  have  wonderful 
chances  and  improve  upon  them.  Oftener  naturally  the 
geisha  draws  a blank  in  the  lottery  of  life.  That  she  has 
lived  a blameless,  joyous  life  of  a few  years  must  be  the 
consolation  of  the  geisha  most  of  the  time  as  she  closes  her 
geisha  career  in  a humble  marriage. 

The  beauty  of  a girl  when  grown  up  cannot  be  definitely 
predicted  in  Japan  before  she  is  twelve  years  old.  Even 
then  the  signs  often  prove  deceptive.  High  cheek  bones 
come  out : the  oval  of  the  face  proves  imperfect : the  form 
is  disappointing.  Generally  speaking,  however,  the  promise 
of  twelve  to  the  experienced  eye  of  the  keeper  of  a geisha 
house  holds  good.  If  the  mother  wishes  her  daughter  to 
be  a geisha  she  must  sign  a hard  and  fast  contract  of 
apprenticeship  that  surrenders  her  own  rights  in  her 
daughter,  and  obligates  the  keeper  of  the  geisha  house  to 
feed  her,  lodge  her  and  clothe  her,  and  teach  her  the  art 
and  practice  of  the  profession.  The  terms  of  these  con- 
tracts are  carefully  drawn  and  meticulously  observed. 

By  all  accounts  the  life  of  the  musume  or  apprentice 
geisha  or  chicken  geisha  as  she  is  variously  called  is  for 
two  or  three  years  a hard  one.  In  the  coldest  winter 
weather  they  must  be  up  at  daybreak  and  practice  on  the 
samisen  for  hours  often  with  numb  fingers.  No  amount  of 
whimpering  relieves  them  of  their  task.  Then  the  dancing 


I'ROrKSSlOX  OF  GKISIIAS  IX  TllK  MIKADO'S  GORC^XATIOX  FF.STIVITIES 


^ Newman  Traveltalks  and  Brown  & Dawson.  N*.  Y. 

1.  GEISHA  GIRLS  ENJOYING  A MEAL  OE  THEIR  OWN  SERVING 

2.  A GEISHA  DANCE  WITH  THE  GEISHA  ORCHESTRA 


THE  REAL  GEISHA 


207 


has  to  be  practised  for  hours.  This,  of  course,  is  posturing, 
advancing  retiring,  wheeling,  rising,  kneeling,  gesticu- 
lating in  prescribed,  traditional  motions.  Hundreds  of 
geisha  songs  have  to  be  learned  by  heart  and  sung  as  solos 
or  in  chorus.  Then  the  waitress  business  must  be  studied 
and  practised  with  a detail  unimaginable  to  Occidental 
ideas  of  the  art.  Progress  is  extremely  slow,  and  the 
criticism  consistently  severe.  Then  they  must  wait  on  the 
elder  geishas  and  run  their  errands.  As  they  grow  a little 
older  and  learn  to  carry  the  beautiful  raiment  of  the  geisha, 
wonderfully  embroidered  satins  and  brocades,  with  some- 
thing of  grace  and  authority  they  are  occasionally  allowed 
to  attend  the  banquets  for  an  hour  or  two,  giving  their 
touch  of  exquisite  grace  and  childish  innocence  to  the 
entertainment  as  they  flit  about  under  strict  orders  to 
permit  no  liberties.  At  this  age  they  are  all  very  beautiful. 
Later  on,  as  I have  indicated,  they  differentiate,  and  seldom 
carry  to  maturity  a third  of  the  charm  they  conveyed  as 
children. 

A geisha  house  is  not  generally  a large  establishment — 
six  or  seven  to  a dozen  geishas  and  half  as  many  musumes 
make  it  up.  The  mother  or  keeper  is  generally  an  old 
geisha,  often  a once  celebrated  dancer  and  entertainer,  as 
one  may  guess  from  the  many  middle-aged  or  aging  men 
who  will  sit  down  beside  her  and  swap  stories  with  her 
about  merry  old  times  of  other  days.  The  geisha  houses, 
rather  humble,  certainly  unpretentious  abodes,  group  them- 
selves in  certain  quarters,  and  the  hiring  of  the  girls  is 
done  methodically  through  a central  office  at  a very  strict 
tariff.  The  hiring  should  be  accomplished  by  the  restau- 
rant keeper  or  by  the  housewife  as  early  in  the  afternoon 
as  possible,  but  not  after  six  in  the  evening  unless  ab- 
solutely unavoidable.  For  the  preparation  of  the  geisha 
is  an  elaborate  affair  from  the  wonderful  coiling  and 
adorning  of  her  hair  to  the  fit  and  sit  of  her  white,  heelless 


208 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


shoes.  They  are  taken  in  rickishas  to  the  house  of  enter- 
tainment and  carried  home  in  the  same  way  when  all 
is  over. 

The  clan  spirit  is  strongly  developed  in  them,  but  it  is 
strictly  local:  that  is  the  geishas  of  a certain  fu  or  pre- 
fecture will  hold  themselves  superior  on  one  point  or 
another  of  geisha  accomplishment  to  the  geishas  of  another 
neighbourhood.  It  furnishes  them  with  conversation  for 
hours,  the  mother  geisha  encouraging  it  by  all  means,  often 
going  to  great  expense  in  the  way  of  gorgeous  costumes, 
gold  embroidered  and  what  not,  to  “down”  a rival  pre- 
fecture. The  municipalities  and  even  the  central  govern- 
ment use  the  geishas  from  time  to  time  for  public  display. 
Nothing  is  more  popular  than  a procession  of  geishas 
through  decorated  streets  on  festival  days.  The  geishas  of 
the  rival  parishes  vie  in  splendour  and  stateliness  and  are 
received  along  the  route  with  applause.  In  Tokyo  and 
above  all  in  Kyoto  geisha  exhibitions  are  held  in  large 
public  halls,  and  these  district  rivalries  as  to  number, 
splendour  and  complexity  of  the  dance  figures  are  the 
great  popular  feature.  Of  late  they  have  been  used  in 
public  fetes  that  had  long  been  closed  to  them.  At  bridge 
openings  they  are  in  demand.  They  are  always  building 
bridges  in  Tokyo,  and  every  new  bridge  calls  for  a local 
celebration.  The  first  over  the  bridge  must  be  the  oldest 
married  couple  in  the  district,  and  then  come  the  mayor 
and  other  officials  and  a score  of  geishas,  wonder  of 
wonders,  wearing  tights  instead  of  the  superb  flowing  robes 
of  their  usual  garb  of  ceremony.  If  a mere  man  may  have 
an  opinion  in  such  delicate  matters  I would  say  that  the 
young  men  of  Japan  have  better  shaped  legs  than  the 
young  women.  This  I attribute  wholly  to  the  exercising  of 
the  young  men,  and  the  flattening  of  the  limbs  from  the 
prolonged  squatting  of  the  young  women  of  leisure. 

As  may  be  supposed  the  morals  of  the  geisha  are  a great 


THE  REAL  GEISHA 


209 


trouble  to  foreigners.  One  thing  is  very  certain,  those  who 
control  the  geisha  take  the  greatest  care  to  preserve  them 
from  the  temptations  that  may  come  their  way.  The 
random  meeting  with  well-to-do  men  a little  flown  with 
sake  when  the  geisha  serves  at  banquets  cannot  be  without 
its  dangers,  hut  the  geisha  has  a long-taught  fund  of 
cynicism  to  fall  back  upon  regarding  the  sheep’s  eyes 
thrown  at  them  across  the  dinner  tray,  and  their  simple 
creed  that  all  compliments  are  theirs  by  sheer  right  of 
cultivated  grace  and  beauty  save  them  from  all — well, 
nearly  all — the  dangers  of  flattery.  It  would  be  difficult 
to  praise  a geisha  beyond  her  own  concept  of  her  attrac- 
tions. Their  whole  schooling,  in  fact,  is  a preparation 
against  the  delighted  appreciation  on  the  other  side  of  the 
dinner  tray.  Never  did  a mother  hen  gather  her  chickens 
under  her  wing  with  more  insistent  cluck  than  the  clerk  in 
charge  or  the  mother  geisha  herself,  as  one  or  other  collects 
the  girls  at  the  feast’s  end  and  shoos  them  home  in  good 
order.  It  is  the  condition  of  the  business  that  the  girls 
live  good  lives.  As  to  the  young  apprentices  they  are 
really  watched  over  with  maternal  care  for  their  own 
gentle  sakes  no  less  than  for  the  good  of  the  house,  and  the 
profit  from  the  full-blown  geisha  in  years  to  come.  It  is 
in  fact  a hard  worldly  wisdom  they  are  taught,  without 
illusions,  if  largely  dissociated  from  what  is  narrowly  called 
virtue.  They  are  taught  that  decent  conduct  makes  for 
self-respect  and  health.  They  are  not  allowed  to  dissipate 
as  that  lowers  their  geisha  value.  That  the  system,  like 
most  of  the  social  systems  that  date  back  to  feudal  Japan, 
answers  and  has  answered  its  purpose,  speaks  volumes. 
The  aim  has  been  to  keep  intact  a large  company  of  young 
women  of  beauty  and  cultivation  bringing  them  nightly  in 
more  or  less  perilous  contact  with  slightly  inebriated  men 
of  more  or  less  means  and  yet  keep  the  ranks  whole  and  the 
girls  safe.  It  is  a system  of  bringing  the  pitchers  to  the 


210 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


well  with  a minimum  of  breakages.  I recall  a case  on  the 
other  side  of  the  world  of  many  years  ago  showing  how 
want  of  some  such  system  betrayed  a steward  of  handsome 
young  women.  It  struck  a great  London  restaurateur 
that  when  the  Exposition  Universelle  opened  the  following 
year  in  Paris  he  would  astonish  the  world  visitors  with  a 
great  London  bar  a hundred  feet  long  and  attended  by 
fifty  of  the  biggest,  finest  and  blondest  barmaids  in  the 
United  Kingdom.  He  was  as  good  as  his  word.  Never 
was  there  such  a display  of  big,  plump,  beautiful,  rosy- 
cheeked,  muscular,  blonde-haired  women  presented  in  a 
line  before — nor  since.  It  was  before  the  days  of  peroxide, 
and  a blonde  was  a blonde.  As  they  towered  in  their 
mountainous  filmy  muslin  waists  above  the  counters,  and 
with  great  round  arms  bare  to  the  shoulder  drew  golden 
floods  of  bitter  beer  from  the  ivory  beer-pump  handles, 
Paris  held  its  breath,  and  then  made  a rush  for  glass  after 
glass  of  the  foaming  flood.  The  steward  was  in  ecstasies. 
Tout  Paris  took  up  the  story.  Well,  you  know  what  Paris 
is,  or  you  have  heard  what  it  was.  The  prodigal  sons  and 
uncles  and  nephews  and  possibly  the  prodigal  grandfathers 
of  the  world  were  in  town.  No  mother  geisha  was  there  to 
round  up  o ’nights  the  blond  ladies  from  London.  So  at 
the  end  of  a week,  while  the  steward  stood  wringing  his 
hands  beside  his  deserted  beer  pumps  or  telegraphing  to 
London  literally  for  help,  the  Bois  de  Boulogne  was  reeking 
with  broughams  and  barouches  and  victorias  filled  with 
great  English  blondes  escorted  by  little  dandy  Frenchmen 
or  fierce  Russian  lords  or  South  American  senors  of 
ferocious  aspect,  all  gloating  over  the  new  sensation.  The 
great  London  restaurateur  thereafter  tried  a plainer  and 
more  elderly  type  of  attendant  at  his  shrine  of  bitter  beer. 

The  geisha  does  not  always  escape  such  dangers,  but  she 
is  taught  a very  worldly  lesson  thereanent:  it  is  that  she 
is  an  extremely  costly  article  to  the  outsider,  and  it  is 


THE  REAL  GEISHA 


211 


suspected  that  when  the  call  for  her  good  graces  is  insistent, 
the  advice  of  older  heads  than  her  own  must  be  taken.  The 
first  advice  of  these  older  heads  is  that  she  must  henceforth 
be  doubly  careful  in  her  life  and  play  absolutely  for 
honourable  marriage  if  the  man  is  single.  Many  marriages 
with  that  beginning  have  taken  place,  and  geishas  so  have 
risen  to  marked  social  heights.  There  is,  however,  another 
side,  as,  for  instance,  a case  that  found  its  way  into  the 
papers,  and  is  a fair  sample  of  the  costly  geisha.  The 
indications  are  of  a Shimbashi  geisha,  named  Saito  Yoshi, 
a queen  of  her  class  “enjoying  the  protection  of  a high 
dignitary”  and  contracting  with  a Mr.  G.  M.  C.  da  Silva 
of  Yokohama  for  the  purchase  of  a diamond  necklace  worth 
$42,500!  The  story  came  to  light  because  Mr.  da  Silva, 
exacting  advance  money  to  the  amount  of  $7,500,  placed 
an  order  for  the  necklace  with  a German  firm  which  went 
bankrupt  and  never  supplied  the  jewels.  Saito  Yoshi  San 
sued  for  the  return  of  the  $7,500  and  despite  the  jeweller’s 
plea  that  his  contract  was  with  Prince  Iwakura,  won  her 
case  in  flying  colours,  and  more,  Mr.  da  Silva’s  counter- 
charge of  defamation  of  character  was  dismissed. 

Finally,  from  one  point  of  view  the  geisha  is  most  inter- 
esting. She  long  stood  in  Japan  for  the  only  class  of 
women  earning  money  in  a purely  honest  calling,  and,  as 
far  as  she  really  pleased,  mistress  of  herself  and  her 
emotions  and  affections.  If  she  obeyed  the  rules  of  her 
house  she  was  quite  free.  It  gave  her  a certain  inde- 
pendence long  ahead  of  her  sisters.  Today  wmman  earners 
exist  by  the  hundred  thousand  in  Japan,  but  still  she  holds 
a certain  eminence  as  the  Lady  of  Romance.  Among  the 
sisterhood  when  they  meet  in  the  afternoons  for  tea  their 
theme  is  romance.  Admired  and  petted  by  the  rich  and 
the  highly  placed  they  have  learned  to  turn  a deaf  ear  to 
compliments  coming  in  the  way  of  business,  but  when  they 
walk  abroad  on  their  little  clattering  geta  or  gather  on  a 


212 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


night  off  duty  to  see  a favourite  actor  in  a favourite  play 
they  look  around  with  selective  eyes.  They  fall  in  love  and 
fall  out  again  as  woman  it  appears  may.  Many  is  the  story 
told  of  a geisha  in  love  with  a poor  student  helping  him 
through  his  classes  from  her  earnings.  It  may  be  a young 
artist  to  whom  she  joins  her  dreams  and  her  cash.  I once 
was  pointed  out  a florist  who  had  been  the  protege  and  was 
then  the  husband  of  a former  geisha.  Indeed,  as  I said 
heretofore,  her  fancy  leads  her  to  marriage  generally  with 
a good-looking  struggling  man,  but  as  a rule  she  is  the  one 
who  selects  and  woos.  Then  is  she  blessed  in  her  gen- 
eration. Her  fate,  on  the  contrary,  if  she  remains  single 
and  passes  on  to  the  maikon  stage  is  not  enviable.  To  sit 
thrumming  a samisen  in  the  background  for  a small  wage 
with  no  better  prospect  is  not  alluring  if  “sorrow’s  crown 
of  sorrow  is  remembering  happier  things.  ’’  It  is  quite  char- 
acteristic of  the  geisha  that  as  far  as  the  theatre  is  con- 
cerned she  has  turned  her  back  on  modern  plays.  The 
problem  play  with  its  harsh-clashings  of  individuality  with 
convention,  of  the  working  out  of  unusual  social  combina- 
tions, does  not  appeal.  The  call  upon  her  limited  brain 
is  too  much.  Her  education  has  sharpened  but  not  broad- 
ened her.  On  the  other  hand  the  racial  tragedy  of  sacri- 
fice, of  utter  devotion,  of  unceasing  struggle  to  right  a 
great  wrong  or  avenge  a foul  crime  appeal  to  her  through 
every  quickened  fibre  of  her  being.  She  weeps  copiously 
at  the  play.  As  young  “Western”  men  adore  the  actress 
with  a wonderful  calf-love,  so  the  geisha  adores  the  best 
actors,  whether  they  play  men’s  parts  or  women’s.  I have 
heard  of  a couple  of  clever  actors,  not  at  all  the  great  ones 
of  the  stage  but  great  favourites  of  the  geisha,  who  were  so 
beset  with  invitations  to  dine  with  these  sentimental  young 
ladies  that  they  actually  set  a tariff  on  their  compliance. 
It  cost  the  geisha  twenty  yen  in  addition  to  the  price  of  the 
dinner  (whose  quality  was  laid  down)  for  the  boon  of  the 


THE  REAL  GEISHA 


213 


actor’s  company  at  the  repast.  That  was  a pretty  high  tide 
of  romance  for  the  little  flowers  that  make  the  festal  life  of 
Japan  beautiful  with  their  grace  and  colour  and  motion. 
But  do  not  mistake  the  attendant  girls  at  tea  houses  for 
geisha.  Above  all  do  not  wrong  the  fair  geisha  by  con- 
fusing her  with  the  class  of  women  who  sell  themselves. 
The  latter  are  quite  willing  to  be  mistaken  for  geisha,  will 
indeed  on  small  provocation  claim  the  distinction  in 
presence  of  the  ignorant,  but  not  to  native  Japanese.  In 
America  what  types  of  brazen  dissipatedness  “admit”  in 
police  courts  that  they  are  “actresses,”  Hear  a geisha 
declaim  on  similar  “admissions”  by  their  unfortunate 
sisters ! 


CHAPTER  XV 


HIGH  LIGHTS  OF  THE  ROAD 


The  glory  of  Fujiyama — Kamakura’s  charm — Miyanoshita — In 
Cha  Kago  to  Hakone — A Hot  Springs  siesta — Nara,  the 
beautiful — Kyoto  the  many-dowered  of  art  and  nature — A 
boat  ride  in  the  dark. 

When  we  look  into  the  face  of  Nature  we  find  mirrors  of 
ourselves,  which  means  that  we  gather  from  a view  just 
what  we  can  assimilate.  To  jot  those  impressions  down 
before  they  flit  we  keep  a diary.  So  did  I in  my  roamings 
through  the  East  and  whereas  much  that  one  finds  in  it 
afterwards  is  merely  an  aide-memoire  to  dry  facts  and  in- 
consequential goings  and  comings,  one  here  and  there  comes 
across  passages  that  are  their  own  excuse.  Where  I have 
summarized  so  much  and  endeavoured  to  synthesize  or 
analyse  facts  as  well  as  impressions  a few  things  may  seem 
worth  while  retelling  for  their  own  sake. 

I suppose  every  one  goes  to  Japan  with  the  thought  of 
Fujiyama  as  the  greatest  single  object  among  the  things 
there  visible.  This  conical  mountain  capped  with  snow, 
rising  twelve  thousand  feet  from  a plain,  has  stared  you 
out  of  countenance  for  years.  In  colour^  in  black  and 
white,  in  gold  lacquer  and  bronze  ornament  it  has  been 
witnessing  to  the  art  popularity  of  the  triangle  with  its 
aspiring  point  uppermost.  That  it  stands  so  firm  on  its 
base  is  not  half  so  important  as  that  one-third  of  it  occupies 
the  sky,  for  it  is  thus  it  becomes  dominant.  From  its  mul- 

214 


HIGH  LIGHTS  OF  THE  ROAD 


215 


tiple  reproductions  one  thinks  of  it  as  ever  garnishing  the 
uplift  of  millions  of  Japanese  eyes.  And  if  from  perpetual 
reiteration  of  its  beauties  you  should  reach  the  violent 
extreme  of  hoping  that  you  might  never  see  it,  there  would 
steal  in  the  thought  when  shall  mine  eyes  rest  upon  it 
actually?  In  Japan  you  soon  learn  something  else,  namely 
that  it  is  not  at  all  certain  when  you  may  see  it.  Its  coy- 
ness becomes  as  assertive  as  its  revelation  is  imperious. 
You  are  told  that  Fujiyama  may  be  seen  anywhere  within 
sixty  miles  of  its  foot.  Quite  true.  It  may  be.  But  the 
Japan  atmosphere  is  mostly  so  charged  with  vapour  that 
its  capacity  for  swallowing  Fujiyama  cannot  be  overstated. 
A month  in  Tokyo  never  gave  me  a glimpse  of  it.  Many 
times  men  told  me  they  had  seen  it  that  morning,  and  I 
withheld  my  expression  of  doubt  through  politeness.  Once 
the  aged  servitor  of  Baron  Okura  came  smiling  to  say  he 
had  just  seen  Fuji,  whereupon  we  travelled  up  four  pairs 
of  stairs  to  the  roof,  and  no  Fuji.  Old  servitor  very  apolo- 
getic. I rickishaed  twice  to  a tavern  called  the  Fuji- 
viewing  House  and  ate  two  good  lunches,  but  no  Fuji.  It 
was  weeks  afterwards  on  the  beach  of  a fishing  village, 
Kotsube,  near  Kamakura,  that  the  royal  mountain  flashed 
unawares  on  my  gaze,  from  where  it  had  not  been  a minute 
before.  Our  idea  of  a mountain  is  that  it  rises  from  a firm 
part  of  the  landscape : that  its  massiveness  calls  for  anchor- 
age. But,  having  swept  the  horizon  with  the  glance  several 
times,  identifying  the  loom  of  Enoshima  Island  as  the  last 
visible  acclivity  in  the  field  of  vision,  to  see  Fujiyama 
suddenly  appear  in  all  its  silver-crowned  glory  far  up  in 
the  sky  was  a wonderful  surprise.  And  that  was  how  one 
quality  of  its  majesty  came  to  me.  My  kodak  was  in  my 
hand,  and  with  the  crude  audacity  of  the  world-roamer  I 
took  a shot  at  the  beautiful  mountain.  When  the  film  was 
developed  the  mountain  was  not  there,  giving  some  sort  of 
clue  to  the  whimsies  of  its  appearance  and  disappearance 


216 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


and  reappearance  in  the  course  of  a sunny  morning.  The 
lens  of  my  eye  was  better  than  the  lens  of  my  camera. 

Nearer,  of  course,  it  becomes  like  other  mountains  and 
keeps  where  you  saw  it  last,  but  the  nearer  you  approach 
it,  the  more  you  learn  of  its  feminine  quality  of  draping 
its  beauty  in  waving,  clinging,  shifting,  shimmering  veils. 
Its  clouds  become  living  things  of  white  and  grey  and  black, 
trailing  away  one  by  one  or  floating  off  in  masses  leaving 
it  momentarily  bare.  The  speed,  however,  with  which  it 
can  wrap  itself  completely  round  is  amazing.  I loved  to 
catch  a fugitive  glimpse  of  it  away  on  high.  Once  when 
its  snow  cap  had  all  but  fled  before  the  summer  sun 
leaving  only  faint  snow  streaks  near  the  crest,  I looked 
up  from  the  darkish  green  of  the  fields  at  its  foot  along 
the  dark  brown  surface  of  the  mighty  cone  clear  to  the 
summit,  and  its  brute  force,  its  iron  weight  shocked  me.  It 
was  from  the  railroad  station  at  Fuji,  and  I lost  all  desire 
to  tread  the  mountain  itself.  The  ascent  by  the  way  is  now 
an  easy  matter.  To  see  it  while  its  snow  cap  lingers  catch 
the  gold  and  red  of  the  sunset,  to  see  it  behind  green  hills 
or  over  living  water  is  a supreme  joy.  No  wonder  there 
are  legends  of  goddesses  embroidering  its  story. 

Kamakura,  not  more  than  two  hours  from  Tokyo,  is  the 
site  of  a vanished  capital  that  once  sheltered  above  a million 
souls.  Flimsy  structures  they  must  have  lived  in,  for 
almost  the  only  trace  of  its  former  glory  is  the  great  bronze 
Daibutsu,  the  seated  Buddha,  forty-nine  feet  high  with  no 
canopy  but  the  sky,  tall  trees  for  its  background.  And 
before  the  calm  of  it  you  can  dream  and  dream.  Here 
are  cosy  villas,  a good  hotel  on  the  beach,  and  pleasure  in 
landward  or  seaward  outlook.  Oceanward  I find  some  like- 
ness to  Dublin  Bay — a headland  to  the  right  like  Bray 
Head,  and  Enoshima  to  the  left  like  the  hill  of  Howth. 
You  note  the  number  of  tall  pine  trees,  their  trunks  bent 
inland  with  the  force  of  the  wind  from  the  sea.  From  the 


HIGH  LIGHTS  OF  THE  ROAD 


217 


hotel  we  see  a fine  green  stretch  of  lawn,  beyond  that  a 
tangle  of  young  dwarf  pines  that  fill  a seaward  hollow,  the 
land  rising  further  out  to  a low  line  of  bluff,  its  grassy 
surface  seeming  to  meet  the  blue  of  the  ocean  lip  to  lip. 
The  beach  is  hard  sand  and  delightful  for  a walk  beside 
the  waves,  and  the  broad  fields  of  grain  where  the  million 
people  dwelt  once  upon  a time,  carry  your  eye  back  to  the 
rolling  hills  of  the  background  of  green.  The  restfulness 
of  Kamakura  seems  unique  in  Japan. 

Miyanoshita  farther  afield  from  Tokyo  is  a mountain 
land,  full  of  woodland  beauty  and  hot  springs.  Here 
people  come  to  summer  too,  but  they  must  be  of  more 
excitable  clay,  for  sun  and  shower,  and  wind  and  calm 
alternate  with  insistence.  But  as  the  gateway  to  Lake 
Hakone  over  the  mountains  it  is  at  least  a delightful  halting 
place  for  the  tourist.  You  choose  your  mode  of  mountain 
transit — motor,  rickisha,  kago  (a  travelling  hammock)  or 
cha  kago  (a  bamboo  armchair  resting  on  two  bamboo  poles 
and  requiring  four  carriers),  and  you  are  off  in  the  crisp 
morning  air.  After  crossing  the  crest  of  the  route  between 
high  hills,  some  reforested  in  part  like  those  we  had  seen 
before  reaching  Miyanoshita;  in  a little  while  we  caught 
a glimpse  of  Lake  Hakone  lying  in  a hollow  of  the  hills. 
The  road  goes  through  the  old  Hakone  village — as  populous 
looking  as  all  the  other  villages.  We  were  about  two  and 
one-half  hours  coming — walking  whenever  it  was  level  to 
relieve  the  wretched  carriers.  It  was  about  noon,  so  we 
alighted,  turned  aside  to  see  a temple  approached  through 
a long  avenue  of  trees  that  make  a delightful  shade  along 
the  border  of  the  lake.  The  morning  had  been  very  cloudy, 
and  at  the  hotel  it  was  said  that  the  chances  of  seeing 
Fuji  were  remote.  The  gently  inclined  ascent  to  the  temple 
ended  with  a turn  to  the  right  where  a stone  stairs  of 
about  two  hundred  steps  confronted  us.  I sent  my  son  up 
to  see  if  it  was  worth  the  effort  for  me.  He  did  not  think 


218 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


it  was.  A fine  old  stone  torii  stands  where  the  road  to 
the  temple  enters  the  village.  We  remounted  our  kago 
chairs  and  proceeded  to  the  hotel,  and  there  at  last  above 
the  nearer  green  mountains  at  the  opposite  side  of  the  lake 
rose  Fuji  in  her  splendour,  a few  soft  white  veils  of  cloud 
just  touching  her  half-way  up.  The  snow  cap  extended  a 
long  way  down,  streaking  out  in  long  pointed  arrows,  the 
ribs  of  dark  volcanic  rock  making  the  dark  streaks  between. 
It  was  a truly  glorious  sight — the  lake  in  front,  the  dark- 
green  rounded  hills  beyond,  and  then  the  sharp  cone  of 
Fuji  hashing  up  into  the  sky.  We  went  to  the  Hakone 
Hotel  and  dined,  feasting  our  eyes  upon  the  mountains 
more  than  our  lips  upon  the  viands,  though  the  latter 
included  fine  mountain  trout  caught  in  the  lake  at  our 
feet.  So  an  hour  of  delight  passed.  There  are  steaming 
springs  and  geysers  in  the  vicinity,  but  I cared  nothing  for 
them.  Fuji,  the  gracious  Fuji,  now  drawing  the  laces  of 
her  clouds  around  her  head,  and  veiling  her  bosom  with  a 
heavier  wrap  of  darker  clouds,  was  enough.  We  had  seen 
her  beauty  bare  and  virginal.  Why  toil  to  see  Big  Hell 
or  Little  Hell? 

The  journey  home  was  dotted  with  light  rain.  We 
passed  the  old  monument  to  the  Minamoto  shogun, 
Mitsunaka  (912-97),  a liehened  carved  stone  pile  standing 
lonesome  near  a small  reedy  lake,  and  further  on  the 
road,  the  monument  to  two  brothers,  Soga  Sakenari  and 
Soga  Tokimune,  military  heroes  of  the  twelfth  century, 
twin  piles  standing  on  one  base — and  another  standing  de- 
tached. The  latter  is  said  by  Mr.  Honda  to  commemorate 
a woman  who  loved  one  of  the  heroes.  The  story  it  seems 
is  a favourite  one  in  Japanese  romance.  Never-ending 
surprises  in  the  peaks,  domes,  saddle-forms  of  the  moun- 
tains rising  two  thousand  feet  above  us,  and  innumerable 
the  folds,  creases,  wrinkles  even  of  their  sharply  sloping 
sides  running  down  to  the  valley  bottoms  where  rapid 


HIGH  LIGHTS  OP  THE  ROAD 


219 


streams  dashed  foaming  amid  the  rocks,  with  torrents 
gushing  from  them  and  falling  on  every  side.  The  sound 
of  leaping  water  now  near,  now  far  off,  the  sense  of  a 
fountain  land,  the  songs  of  birds  on  every  side,  the 
Ho-lio-ho-kido,  like  a distant  silver  gong  of  the  Japanese 
nightingale,  the  cM-chit,  clii-cJiu  of  another  bird,  the  mellow 
notes  of  a thrush-like  bird,  all  gave  a lifting  to  the  heart. 

On  some  of  the  mountains  it  seemed  as  if  gods  or  Titans 
had  gone  to  sleep,  and  great  blankets  of  green  mossy  velvet 
had  been  thrown  over  them  in  their  dreams,  their  knees 
still  lifted  as  they  reclined,  and  the  covering  sagging  in  a 
great  sweep  between  and  on  either  side.  After  we  passed 
the  crest  returning  by  the  automobile  road  we  were  sud- 
denly vouchsafed  an  astounding  view  of  the  shore  of  the 
sea  and  Tokyo  bay  three  thousand  feet  below  and  twenty 
miles  away.  Coming  from  among  the  huddled  mountains 
with  their  sharp-rising  crests  on  every  hand,  this  outspread 
view  so  far  away,  so  far  below  was  a revelation.  Enoshima 
Island,  the  coast  line,  the  pale  green  of  the  nearer  water, 
the  dim  purple  beyond,  the  sharp  shore  line,  the  white  dots 
of  villages,  the  larger  groups  of  towns,  surpassed  anything 
of  the  kind  I had  seen.  It  is  rarely  visible  the  carriers 
said.  No  doubt  the  same  view  could  be  had  from  many 
of  the  crests  about,  but  with  this  setting  of  the  hills  on 
either  side  it  was  exquisite. 

We  rested  on  the  way  at  a tea  house,  and  reached 
Miyanoshita  by  5 p.m.  It  was  a wonderful  day  of  joy. 
And  then  it  rained  all  night. 

It  has  been  a day  worth  while,  and  you  have  just  enough 
fatigue  to  sleep  regardless  of  rain  or  wind.  A hot  spring 
bath  helps  you  also  to  comfort  and  picturesque  experiences. 

Apropos  of  this  I recall  one  other  strenuous  day  on  the 
Liaotung  Peninsula  which  left  me  tired  and  hot.  It  was 
the  day  I visited  the  battlefield  of  Liao  Yang  and  the  hour 
of  our  return  to  the  town  which  gave  the  battle  its  name 


220 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


happily  coincided  with  the  impending  approach  of  a train 
to  the  South.  At  the  wise  suggestion  of  the  thoughtful 
Mr.  Uyeda,  secretary  of  the  South  Manchurian  railroad, 
we  hastily  bought  tickets  for  Tang  Kang  Tzu,  a station 
thirty  miles  away.  ‘ ‘ There,  ’ ’ said  he,  ‘ ‘ we  will  find  a Hot 
Springs  Hotel,  and  can  rest  cool.”  “I  suppose,”  I 
ventured,  “it  is  hot  in  Liao  Yang.”  “Yes,”  he  answered, 
“hot  and,  oh,  so  many  fries.”  I pondered  this.  Many 
fries,  I thought,  portend  many  fires,  and  much  heat:  but 
hot  springs.  How  about  that?  The  train  was  still  ten 
minutes  off,  so  we  walked  about  a little,  and  noting  that 
unusually  large  blue  pebbles  were  underfoot  on  the  walks 
of  a small  garden,  I asked  casually,  “Where  do  they  come 
from?”  My  learned  friend  who  had  written  a contro- 
versial book  in  remarkably  good  English,  replied,  clearly 
with  evident  surprise  at  so  simple  a question:  “From  the 
liver.”  I pondered  this  reply  also,  pitying  the  hepatic 
condition  of  a people  carrying  so  many  blue  stones  in  their 
anatomy.  On  board  the  train  I pursued  the  matter,  and  I 
soon  had  my  bearings  in  learning  how  hard  it  is  for  a 
Japanese  or  Chinese  to  decide  between  the  pronunciation 
of  the  letters  I and  r.  A drive  of  quarter  of  a mile 
brought  us  from  the  station  to  the  Seirin  Kwan  Hotel. 
Situate  in  the  plain  with  withered  fields  around  it,  and  a 
line  of  . bold  hills  to  the  north,  this  haven  of  rest  lifted  its 
low  front  invitingly  and  spread  out  over  much  territory. 
Within  all  was  homelike  and  well-ordered,  many  servant 
maids  tripping  hither  and  thither  carrying  comforts  for 
the  inner-man  on  lacquered  trays.  Passing  from  the  outer 
halls  and  offices  we  were  convoyed  with  our  light  baggage 
to  snug  rooms,  giving  glimpses  of  many  chambers  occupied 
by  Japanese  travellers  squatting  luxuriously  on  the  mats 
while  they  chop-sticked  savoury  morsels  the  way  good 
morsels  go,  or  lazily  puffed  thin  cigarettes.  My  son  and 
I were  taken  to  a suite  whereof  one  room  was  bare  Japanese 


FfjnAMA  KICKFKCTKI)  IN  LAKK  IIAKONE 


FESTIVAL  CAR  AT  KYOTO 


HIGH  LIGHTS  OF  THE  ROAD 


221 


while  the  other  enjoyed  chairs,  a table  and  a sofa.  I also 
was  handed  a clean  bathrobe.  To  don  this  and  follow  the 
little  maid  along  corridors  and  down  stone  steps  to  the 
hot  spring  region  was  the  work  of  a few  minutes.  A few 
minutes  more  devoted  to  assuring  the  young  lady  that  I 
felt  quite  capable  of  bathing  alone,  and  I was  enjoying  the 
hot  water  as  it  came  from  the  inwards  of  Mother  Earth. 
It  was  a great  introduction  to  the  semi- Japanese  meal 
served  neatly  and  featly  on  my  table.  A cigar  and  a light 
wrap,  and  the  sleep  of  the  blessed  came  on  velvet  wings. 
And  not  a single  fry  to  buzz  about  me.  Nature  has  been 
lavish  in  Japan’s  volcanic  underpinning  in  providing  many 
such  hot  springs.  They  are  worth  enjoying  at  every 
chance. 

One  little  episode  on  leaving  the  Seirin  Kwan  next 
afternoon  always  amuses  me.  I had  tipped  a very  efficient 
little  maid,  and  was  not  surprised  to  see  her  ranged  up 
among  the  others  bowing  us  out  with  smiles  and  good 
wishes,  “Sai  yo  na  ra.”  Suddenly,  as  one  who  had 
forgotten  something  important,  little  Miss  Plum  Blossom 
rushed  over  to  me,  thrust  a paper  into  my  hand,  and 
backed  olf  bowing  and  smiling.  I fear  I blushed  as  I put 
the  paper  in  my  pocket.  Later,  on  the  train,  I asked  the 
learned  Uyeda  to  English  its  ideographs  for  me.  He  read 
it  solemnly  and  translated : ‘ ‘ Received  tip,  one  dollar.  ’ ’ 

Wisely  guidea  you  will  go  to  Nara,  a capital  more 
ancient  still  than  Kamakura,  of  which  only  its  religious 
monuments  remain  among  its  mighty  trees.  On  its  hills 
are  great  temples  with  the  temple  life  actual  and  loving 
about  them.  Great  bells  and  shrines  are  on  every  side, 
and  beautiful  tame  deer  are  roaming  through  its  parklike 
spaces.  The  people  seem  gentler  too  for  the  religious 
atmosphere  in  which  they  live.  At  Nara  you  see  the  most 
enticing  children  in  this  land  of  happy  childhood.  You 
do  not  need  a belief  in  Buddha  to  share  their  simple  joy. 


222 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


You  may  see  the  priestesses  dance  clad  in  Shinto  white 
and  crimson.  There  are  hundreds  of  paths  to  roam  and 
a thousand  places  to  rest.  Up  at  the  Nara  Hotel,  the  most 
attractive  I entered  in  Japan,  there  is  a wonderful  view 
fronting  you  from  its  gentle  eminence.  I do  not  recall  a 
single  exciting  moment  at  Nara.  Peace  and  sweet  breath- 
ing were  there  at  home.  Go  there  and  rest  and  do  not 
grudge  the  time.  Under  the  enormous  keyaki  and  crypto- 
meria  trees  you  feel  large  thoughts  floating  up  to  you.  By 
some  of  the  little  streams  you  will  see  your  cares  gliding 
away  in  little  singing  water-bubbles.  Giant  oaks  and 
lovely  maples  with  widespread  branches  call  you  to  their 
shade.  Rows  of  stone  lanterns  like  silent  sentinels  line 
long  avenues,  every  lantern  a votive  offering  of  some  one 
in  far  centuries  who  loved  Nara.  It  is  not  rich  like  Kyoto 
or  gorgeous  like  Nikko,  but  venerable  and  appealing.  You 
may  crane  your  neck  to  see  the  negroid  face  of  the  local 
Daibutsu,  but  you  need  not.  You  may  swing  the  heavy 
boom  of  Nara’s  greatest  bell  for  one  sen  a stroke,  but  you 
may  find  more  comfort  in  letting  some  one  else  do  it.  You 
may  feed  cakes  to  the  deer.  Thus,  seeing  and  sauntering 
and  dreaming,  you  may  win  to  the  gentle  heart  of  its 
mystery.  The  trains  that  take  you  away  to  Kyoto  or 
Osaka  run  all  too  frequently. 

Kyoto  is  a city  unique.  Beautifully  situated,  it  is  at 
once  imperial,  religious  and  mundane.  I entered  it  at 
dusk  from  the  train,  and  was  taken  in  an  auto  across 
the  town  as  it  glimmered  with  the  lighting  of  the  night 
and  then  up  a steep  sweep  of  ascent  to  the  Miyako  Hotel. 
From  this  noble  height  the  town  lights  trembled  out  as 
in  a broad  river  to  a great  distance  between  banks  of 
shadow.  In  the  glow  of  the  next  morning — in  mid-May — 
the  shadow  banks  of  the  night  before  revealed  themselves 
as  lines  of  tree-clad  hills.  The  city  was  at  our  feet  with 
a swift-running  river  curving  through  it  over  rocks  and 


HIGH  LIGHTS  OF  THE  ROAD 


223 


stones.  A busy  canal  and  a railroad  branch  brought  the 
crudity  of  modern  commerce  before  us.  On  our  right  the 
Eastern  mountains  rose  grandly,  and  the  whole  ring  of 
hills  that  enclose  the  length  of  the  city  visible,  clad  in  rich 
greens.  At  the  foot  of  these  steeps  or  up  these  heights  the 
great  temples  of  Kyoto  are  screened  from  the  eye  by  the 
trees.  Far  off  on  the  plain  to  the  left  one  catches  the 
outlines  of  the  palace  walls  with  the  palace  buildings 
within.  Here  dwelt  for  a thousand  years  the  mikados, 
from  the  time  of  the  Emperor  Jimmu  down  to  1868  when 
the  Meiji  Emperor,  Mutsuhito,  then  a tall,  bright  youth, 
took  his  way  to  Tokyo.  But  though  he  took  the  seat  of 
empire  with  him  he  could  not  detract  from  the  beauty  of 
Kyoto.  Whether  it  be  the  Temple  of  the  East — Higashi 
Honganji — the  Temple  of  the  West — Nishi  Honganji — or 
the  beautiful  Temple  of  Gratitude — Chionin — all  that  is 
old  is  exquisite.  The  pilgrims  come  and  go  in  gaping, 
laughing  crowds.  The  bonzes  pray  and  chant  and  beat 
their  gongs.  The  waters  fall  in  silver  streams  or  filmy 
veils  from  wooded  heights  to  carven  hasins:  the  lap  of 
singing  water  is  everywhere.  There  are  gardens  to 
explore  that  have  been  marvelled  over  for  centuries.  Here 
a shogun  built  the  Kingkaku-ji  or  Golden  Pavilion  hun- 
dreds of  years  ago  above  a,  little  lake  filled  with  golden 
and  grey  carp  that  will  come  in  shoals  to  be  fed  if  you 
clap  your  hands.  You  note  the  apparent  modern  villa 
look  of  the  old,  old  wooden  structure  from  which  time  and 
wind  and  rain  and  sun  have  long  stolen  the  gold.  The 
shogun  built  it  as  a home  of  rest  from  the  storms  of  state : 
it  is  a lounging  spot  for  the  pilgrim  or  the  tourist  of  today. 
One  wanders  with  a young  priest  wearing  spectacles 
through  a square  mile  of  rooms  in  the  Higashi  Honganji 
each  with  its  rule  as  to  who  may  use  it  on  days  of  cere- 
mony, until  you  reach  one  immense  chamber  called  the 
room  of  a thousand  mats.  You  may  see  a closed  gate  of 


224 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


the  utmost  beauty  through  which  only  an  Emperor  may 
pass.  You  may  see  the  enormous  rope  of  human  hair  from 
the  heads  of  thirty  thousand  women,  two  hundred  and 
twenty-one  feet  long  and  over  four  inches  thick,  used  to 
hoist  the  great  timbers  of  a rebuilt  temple.  You  may  meet 
a wayside  fortune-teller  within  a temple  compound  near  an 
avenue  of  stone  lanterns  who  will  tell  your  future  by  the 
help  of  a bunch  of  little  sticks,  a dozen  black  dominoes 
and  a Chinese  book  of  cabalistics.  His  grace  of  gesture 
and  his  air  of  rapture  are  worth  more  than  his  story  or 
its  cost  in  small  silver.  He  gave  me  a very  superior 
fortune  for  twenty  cents.  I have  not  realized  on  it  yet. 
When  I had  troubles  I was  to  keep  my  temper  and  all 
would  be  well.  I was  also  not  to  let  little  people  break  up 
my  calm.  Good  advice.  You  may  see  the  pilgrims  look 
reverently  as  well  as  curiously  up  a high  temple  wall  in 
furtherance  of  a temple  legend  to  the  effect  that  the  famous 
architect  upon  his  last  visit  there  some  centuries  back  came 
down  the  ladder  leaving  his  umbrella  behind  him.  And 
sure  enough,  the  crook  of  the  handle  is  visible  above  to 
this  day ! From  a high  platform  on  a temple  hill  you  may 
see  a “lover’s  leap”  that  makes  you  dizzy,  and  in  its 
popularity  you  may  guess  how  deep  are  the  roots  of 
romanticism  in  material  Japan.  Spiritual  past  and 
prayerful  present  meet  you  in  all  directions.  Temple 
bells  boom  unseen  from  wooded  heights  and  linger  in  a 
spell  of  sound  like  humming  bees  upon  the  ear.  You  look 
for  quaint  superstitions.  Well,  on  a wide  walk  up  by  a 
great  temple,  you  have  been  told  that  the  cow  is  sacred 
to  this  temple,  and  there  is  the  cow  in  bronze.  A stout, 
middle-aged  lady  is  beside  it.  She  rubs  her  side  and  then 
rubs  the  side  of  the  cow.  She  rubs  her  head  and  then  the 
head  of  the  cow,  finally  achieving  a rubbing  that  need  not 
be  particularized,  but  it  was  funny.  Nobody  minded.  So, 
whether  it  was  the  ancient  Buddhist  fanes  of  the  hillside  or 


HIGH  LIGHTS  OF  THE  ROAD 


225 


the  hill  foot  temples  with  their  calm-faced  Amida  Buddhas 
or  the  great  staring  Shinto  shrine  of  yesterday  on  the  plain 
— the  Heionjin  gu,  whose  gate  is  called  Otimmon  and  the 
vast  temple,  Dai  Kyokuden  with  its  violent  red  pillars 
and  white  walls  and  great  vacant  spaces — you  can  have 
your  fill  of  Oriental  religions  with  much  that  is  appealing 
or  diverting  as  you  take  it  into  your  being. 

And  you  are  within  a stone’s  throw  of  the  practical 
artistry  of  Japan.  Not  so  many  smoking  chimneys  as 
Osaka,  but  enough  to  guide  you  to  where  they  fashion 
pottery  on  flying  wheels  or  paint  it  with  delicate  brush; 
where  men  embroider  in  silk  of  innumerable  shades  of 
colour;  where  jewellers  work  with  the  minute  skill  of 
generations  in  damascene;  where  gold  and  red  sealing-wax 
lacquer  is  applied;  where  men  carve  fantastic  figurines  in 
ivory.  You  can  find  snug  restaurants  and  elaborate  shops 
for  all  the  local  wares. 

By  way  of  entertainment  there  are  theatres.  There 
may  be  a beauty  contest  of  the  geishas  in  gorgeous  gar- 
ments staged  of  an  evening;  or  perhaps  one  of  the  famous 
Kyoto  street  processions  with  towering  ears  and  floats  and 
hundreds  in  bright  garments  grouped  upon  them  passing 
slowly  and  merrily  through  the  streets  by  day.  Oh,  it  is 
a picturesque  place  in  its  toil,  in  its  play,  at  its  prayer 
and  in  itself. 

You  may  go  up  the  river  by  rail  and  come  down  with 
a rush  over  the  rapids,  or  you  may  go  by  trolley  out  to 
Lake  Biwa,  the  largest  body  of  fresh  water  in  Japan, 
thirty-six  miles  by  twenty,  and  three  hundred  and  twenty- 
eight  feet  above  sea  level.  It  is  just  back  of  the  mountains 
around  Kyoto,  to  which  city  its  waters  are  brought  through 
seven  miles  of  tunnels  furnishing  water  transportation  and 
waterpower  for  the  city,  thus  making  electric  lighting  so 
cheap  that  the  poorest  use  it.  We  went  by  trolley  to  a 
little  town  and  rickishas  took  us  to  the  abode  of  a pine 


226 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


tree  twelve  hundred  years  old  that  still  lives  deerepitly 
in  a propped-up  dotage,  its  twisted  branches  spread  out  in 
every  direction.  We  lunched  at  the  old  pine  tree,  took  an 
hour’s  walk  by  the  lakeside,  noting  the  meticulous  culti- 
vation of  the  land  near  by  and  the  toil,  toil,  toil  of  the 
farmers  and  their  wives.  There  were  no  horses  visible  on 
the  roads.  All  was  drawn,  pushed  or  carried  by  man- 
power. A small  steamboat  came  to  a landing.  Distant 
spiky  mountains  closed  the  view  across  the  lake.  Return- 
ing to  the  lakehead  we  took  tunnel  boat  tickets  for  Kyoto. 
There  is  no  hurry  in  Japan,  so  we  waited  long  for  a proper 
complement  of  passengers  before  the  brown  athletic 
skipper  gave  the  signal  to  start.  The  boats  have  something 
of  the  gondola  about  them.  They  curve  up  at  the  bow 
with  a long  overhang,  are  some  twenty-five  feet  long  and 
five  feet  wide  and  have  a covered  top  from  about  six  feet 
back  of  the  prow  to  about  three  feet  from  the  stern.  The 
boatman  stands  on  the  latter  and  sculls  with  a long  oar. 
Lighting  a sputtering  train-oil  torch,  like  a little  teapot, 
the  fiame  at  the  spout,  the  boatman  finally  cast  off.  We 
were  seated  in  the  bow.  Almost  immediately  the  boat 
entered  the  first  tunnel  and  we  were  soon  in  perfect  dark- 
ness except  for  the  flare  of  our  little  torch.  The  current 
runs  down  to  the  city  at  the  rate  of  six  to  eight  miles  an 
hour,  so  no  power  is  used  going  down.  The  tunnel  is 
truncated,  oviform — ^that  is,  it  is  highly  arched  overhead 
and  flat  beneath.  It  is  brick-lined  all  the  way  and  was 
built  in  1895.  It  is  some  fourteen  feet  wide  and  about 
sixteen  feet  high  at  the  crown.  There  is  ample  space  for 
two  boats  to  pass.  It  was  a curious  effect  drifting  swiftly 
on  through  the  darkness,  the  red-yellow  flare  lighting  up 
the  roof  dimly.  In  front  it  was  all  black.  Presently  a 
dim  reddish  spot  of  light  was  seen  in  the  distance  ap- 
parently straight  ahead,  but  as  we  neared  it  we  saw  it 
was  on  the  other  side,  our  light  and  theirs  revealing  for 


HIGH  LIGHTS  OF  THE  ROAD 


227 


an  instant  the  naked  bodies  of  men  pulling  their  boat  up- 
stream by  hauling  on  a hand  rail  that  ran  along  their  side 
of  the  tunnel.  Thus  we  passed  several  boats.  On  some  a 
man  held  on  to  the  rail,  and  pushed  the  boat  upward  with 
his  feet.  This  first  tunnel  was  over  two  miles  long  and 
the  light  was  welcome  when  we  came  out  of  it.  We  found 
ourselves  between  wooded  hills  and  drifted  on  amid  beau- 
tiful scenery.  There  were  two  other  shorter  tunnels,  and 
leaving  the  last  of  these  we  found  ourselves  almost  under 
the  height  whereon  stands  the  Myako  Hotel. 

One  evening  at  the  hotel  I found  a pair  of  curious 
wandering  musicians  playing  in  the  reading  room  for  an 
ecstatic  English  tourist.  They  had  long,  inverted  baskets 
over  their  heads  and  one  played  a sort  of  clarinet.  They 
had  told  the  tourist  that  they  wore  the  baskets  because 
of  a vow;  that  they  slept  in  them  lest  any  one  should  see 
their  faces,  and  lived  on  alms.  For  half  a yen  they  made 
quaint  music  to  the  tourist’s  delight,  but  the  hardened 
hotel  people  ran  them  out,  almost  throwing  them  down- 
stairs. I recall  the  astonished  look  on  the  tourist’s  face. 
He  believed  their  story,  and  the  ejectment  seemed  cruel 
and  mistaken. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


NIKKO  AND  THE  ISLE-SPANGLED  SEAS 

Beauties  of  the  Nikko  country — Lake  Chuzenji’s  rainbow  waters 
— Osaka  and  its  fortress — Kobe’s  illuminated  waterfall — A 
rest  and  bite  at  Rokotan — Miyajima  and  its  torii  in  the  sea — 
Fascinations  of  the  Inland  Sea — Stark  majesty  of  the  rock- 
sown  Korean  Archipelago — Curious  trip  to  Matsushima — 
Extraordinary  conduct  of  the  islets. 

Nikko,  the  splendid ! Here  you  have  something  that  rivals 
Fujiyama  in  popular  regard.  One  who  has  read  the 
chapter  on  the  Religions  of  Japan  will  have  noted  much  in 
praise  of  Nikko  and  its  gorgeous  temples  in  the  terraces 
of  its  cryptomeria-clad  hills.  Nikko  lies  to  the  northwest 
of  Tokyo  and  you  reach  it  by  rail  after  a few  hours’ 
journey  through  an  agricultural  country,  rain-washed  as 
I saw  it,  forcing  me  for  consolation  to  study  the  misty  grey 
effects  on  distant  mountains  that  loomed  pale  and  vague 
as  ghosts.  Through  a pelting  rain  we  were  propelled  up- 
hill for  a mile  from  Nikko  station  by  I don’t  know  how 
many  kuruma  men,  then  through  the  long  street  of  the 
village,  and  then  up  a very  steep  ascent  to  the  Kanaya 
Hotel,  an  excellent  hostelry  with  a superb  outlook  over 
the  valley  through  which  the  noisy  foamy  river  Daiya 
comes  rushing  down — a splendid  vantage  point  to  view  the 
sunset.  When  you  have  rested  there  after  a day  among 
the  temples,  and  more  so  after  two  such  days,  the  longing 
for  something  less  exciting  is  likely  to  catch  the  visitor, 
and  he  or  she  or  he  and  she  hear  the  call  of  Lake  Chuzenji 
over  the  mountains.  So  of  a beautiful  sunny  morning, 

228 


NIKKO  AND  THE  ISLE-SPANGLED  SEAS  229 


after  a trolley  ride  of  three  miles,  along  rising  ground,  our 
three  kurumas  with  seven  men  met  us  at  the  terminal. 

They  had  come  in  advance,  glad  to  subtract  three  miles 
of  haulage  out  of  the  total  eleven  to  the  lake.  The  road 
is  a good  one  all  the  way.  It  has  first  to  ascend  as  best 
it  may  for  three  thousand  feet  to  a mountain  summit  and 
then  descend  about  five  hundred  feet  to  the  lake  which  is 
the  crater  of  an  extinct  volcano.  For  the  first  three  miles 
the  road  rises  very  gradually,  skirting  mostly  the  Daiya 
river  or  its  branches  and  disclosing  gorges  and  ravines  and 
canons.  One  becomes  a bit  dithyrambic.  The  sound  of 
rushing,  leaping,  trickling  water  is  always  in  your  ears, 
and  down  deep  chasms  you  see  foaming  streams  among  the 
bluish,  rounded  rocks  that  form  the  beds  of  the  torrents. 
Great  rocks  that  have  been  swept  down  the  streams  in  the 
raging  floods  or  have  tumbled  from  the  butting  crags  one 
thousand  or  two  thousand  feet  above  lie  large  as  houses 
by  the  path.  But  the  mountains  themselves  dominate  all. 
So  swift  their  rise  from  the  wedge-shaped  valleys,  so  varied 
their  shape — the  violence  of  their  volcanic  origin  still 
stamped  on  them  for  all  the  gamut  of  green  that  covers 
them — they  seem  to  thrill  even  yet  with  the  primal  urge 
that  uplifted  them.  They  speak  in  a thousand  tongues, 
now  of  the  whispering  leaves,  now  of  the  streams  that 
spring  from  their  sides,  and  hiss  or  roar,  now  of  the 
winds  that  assail  them,  now  of  the  rain  that  patters  on 
them,  now  of  the  hundreds  of  birds  that  warble.  We  pass 
over  bridges  and  see  fine  waterfalls  come  leaping  down  in 
gigantic  ribbons  of  white  foam.  At  length  we  are  facing 
the  mountainous  climb.  They  have  done  the  best  possible 
in  making  the  upward  zigzag  of  this  road.  It  is  ten  to 
twelve  feet  wide  and  banked  with  stone  walls  where  needed. 

There  are  tea  houses  at  intervals  all  the  way,  and  twice 
we  stopped  to  rest  and  refresh.  The  grades  were  mostly 
easy  (for  mountain  roads)  but  it  made  the  rising  slow,  an 


230 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


eighth  to  a quarter-mile  often  for  fifty  feet  of  rise.  We 
met  many  walking  down  and  passed  many  walking  up. 
But  the  widening,  broadening,  reaching  prospect  was 
entrancing.  Never  have  I seen  such  swift  changes  of  view. 
Sublimity  unrolled  like  a hymn  before  and  beneath  us. 
Here  an  enormous  gash  that  seemed  to  split  a mountain 
open  from  the  top  told  of  a giant  landslide,  the  bare 
brown  earth  and  tumbled  rocks  and  fallen  tree  trunks 
standing  naked  amid  the  green  of  the  hills  around.  Ravine, 
gorge,  gulf,  canon,  under  peak,  spire,  or  rounded  and  dome- 
like or  serrated  crests  came  at  every  turn  into  the  picture 
as  we  rose  along  the  winding  mountain  stair.  Steeps  above 
us  and  precipices  below  us,  the  hills  now  tree-covered  to 
the  summits,  now  denuded,  and  streaked  and  striated  with 
reforesting.  Oh,  those  painstaking  Japanese.  And  the 
woods  were  themselves  a marvel.  Great  keyaki  with  smooth 
rounded  boles,  or  giant  maki  with  rough  bark  and  serrated 
leaves.  Pines,  firs  and  cryptomerias  mingled  their  dark 
shade  with  the  lighter  greens.  Great  clusters  of  wild 
azaleas,  scarlet  and  some  white,  made  flames  around  us  or 
covered  the  path  with  their  burning  petals  or  their  floral 
flakes  of  snow.  And  the  singing  of  the  birds,  and  the 
booming  of  the  rapid  rivers  far  below  made  an  unfor- 
gettable harmony.  Near  the  crest  there  was  one  view  that 
made  one  gasp  at  its  wide  majesty  and  awful  beauty,  with 
the  depths  sheer  below  us,  a wide  valley  beyond,  closed  in 
by  mountain  ranges  and  over  them,  still  farther  away,  a 
seeming  plain  veined  by  rushing  streams. 

Over  the  summit  we  came  a little  way  dowm  to  the  Kegan 
Fall  of  the  stream  that  drains  Lake  Chuzenji.  It  comes 
out  of  a ten-foot  opening  cut  in  the  rock,  and  has  a sheer 
fall  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  sending  up  a volume  of 
spray  and  vapour  at  the  foot.  The  rock  is  curiously 
laminated  light  broAvn  and  seems  to  splinter  in  points, 
showing  a sharp  crystallization.  In  its  hollows  the  swallows 


I.  AVENUE  OF  CRVI’TOMEklAS,  NIKKO 
A TEMPLE  SERVANT.  NIKKO 


1.  LAKE  CHUZENJI  AND  NANTAI  SAN  IN  THE  DISTANCE 

2.  THE  GREAT  STONE  TORII  AT  CHUZENJI 

Suninior  Cottas**^^  lake  shore 


NIKKO  AND  THE  ISLE-SPANGLED  SEAS  231 


build,  and  they  hover  in  front  of  the  fall.  Lichens  and 
small  plants  thrive  and  soften  the  tone  with  dark  greens. 
It  can  easily  be  reached  at  the  top  or  at  the  foot,  and  can 
be  viewed  in  front  from  either.  Since  a neurotic  young 
Japanese  jumped  to  death  from  the  top,  because  he  had 
failed  to  solve  the  riddle  of  the  universe,  it  has  been  a 
favourite  place  for  love-lorn  suicides.  Five  had  occurred 
within  the  past  week.  A woman  and  her  lover,  and  the 
latter’s  wife  were  three  of  them.  They  have  that  sort 
of  three-fold  tragedy  in  Japan. 

On  arriving  at  the  Lakeside  Hotel  we  lunched  and 
lounged  a while  on  the  bank  of  the  lake,  when  we  took  a 
motor  boat  and  made  a circuit  of  the  lake. 

It  is  a place  of  quiet  enchantment.  The  mountain  Nantai 
San  (8,400  feet)  rises  on  one  side  four  thousand  feet  sheer 
from  the  lake.  It  is  a sharp  cone,  and  wooded  to  the 
summit.  Over  its  shoulder  to  the  left  rise  smaller  moun- 
tains, dominated  by  the  still  snow-streaked  peak  of  Chiro 
stem  and  hare,  its  brown  volcanic  rocks  showing  in  strong 
ribs  against  the  snow  in  the  hollows.  On  all  sides  moun- 
tains clad  in  green.  The  sun  was  shining.  Cumulus  white 
clouds  were  floating,  some  of  them  throwing  feathery 
fingers  over  Nantai  San.  The  lake  is  a dead  crater  and 
at  its  deepest  is  five  hundred  and  sixty  feet.  Hence  its 
crystalline  waters  are  a little  way  from  shore  of  a deep 
indigo.  The  sunlight  refracted  the  mountain  green  upon 
the  surface,  and  we  sped  through  the  water  throwing  white 
spray  that  broke  in  crystals,  while  the  waters  around, 
stirred  to  wavelets  by  a gentle  wind,  shone  in  shifting 
patines  of  indigo,  blue-green,  purple,  nile  green  and  gold. 
"We  carried  some  Japanese  passengers  to  a point  across  the 
lake,  and  then  turned  to  the  wider  reach  toward  Chiro  San 
giving  another  view  of  towering  Nantai  San.  We  landed 
at  a temple  just  beyond  the  foreign  summer  settlement,  and 
talked,  with  a young  Buddhist  priest,  gathered  blossoms 


232 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


from  a still-blossoming  cherry  tree,  the  rarest  thing  of 
beauty  in  Japan — cherry  blossoms  in  June.  There  is  a 
shrine  at  the  top  of  Nantai  San,  and  thither  come  the 
pilgrims  in  thousands  in  the  summer.  Starting  at  2.30 
A.M.  and  carrying  lanterns  they  climb  the  stiff  four 
thousand  feet  to  the  summit  to  be  there  at  sunrise  when 
they  worship.  The  view  is  said  to  be  very  wide  and  far- 
reaching.  Lake  Chuzenji  is  the  summer  home  of  the  for- 
eign legations  and  their  villas  are  on  the  shores  in  choice 
positions.  They  come  to  escape  the  summer  heat,  and  make 
quite  a large  colony.  Arrived  at  the  hotel  we  had  tea  and 
started  for  Nikko  at  four-thirty.  The  way  was  of  course 
easier  for  the  coolies,  but  in  descending  a fresh  set  of 
muscles  is  called  into  play.  I got  out  and  walked  a good 
deal.  It  was  overcEist  and  darker  as  we  returned,  and 
somehow  the  descent  and  the  sombreness  were  depressing. 
I noticed  that  no  one — rider  or  coolie — said  a word  for  the 
first  half-hour  over  the  summit.  We  took  the  great  views 
in  the  reverse,  and  they  took  on  a new  ominous  quality. 
The  red  azaleas  even  seemed  like  funeral  flames  and  the 
white  like  fluttering  ghosts,  while  the  tone  of  the  rushing 
waters  below  rose  with  a menacing  roar.  By  the  time 
we  reached  the  trolley  station  the  heavens  were  a 
dark  grey  and  the  rain  came  in  a downpour,  wetting 
the  thin-clad  coolies  to  the  skin  as  they  trotted  with 
their  forward-inclined  forms  swaying  a little  at  the 
shoulders.  We  were  back  in  ample  time  to  dress  for 
dinner. 

Naturally  Nikko  is  rich  in  photographic  studios  and  the 
woodenware  peculiar  to  Japan,  and  here  the  visitor  enjoys 
himself  at  moderate  cost.  There  is  an  excursion  to  Urami 
Falls  not  far  off  which  will  consume  a leisurely  afternoon, 
and  gives  you  some  hill-walking.  It  is  not  Niagara  when 
you  reach  Urami,  but  it  has  an  interesting  sideshow  in  the 
shape  of  a drip  fall  near  the  main  cascade,  the  water 


NIKKO  AND  THE  ISLE-SPANGLED  SEAS  233 


coining  down  the  face  of  the  one  hundred  and  fifty-foot 
cliff  like  a wide  lace  veil. 

At  the  Kanaya  they  evidently  feel  under  obligation  to 
entertain  their  visitors  of  an  evening  after  dinner,  and 
nearly  always  there  was  ‘ ‘ something  doing.  ’ ’ One  evening 
they  had  moving  pictures  of  the  regular  dramatic  type 
winding  up  with  a chapter  from  the  apparently  inex- 
haustible legend  of  the  Forty-seven  Ronins.  Another 
evening  it  was  a concert  of  a kind.  But  came  an  evening 
when  the  management  was  out  of  entertaining  propositions 
and  a family  band  of  wanderers  appeared  with  that  in- 
gratiating smile  on  the  faces  of  the  elders  which  one  some- 
how has  long  associated  with  performers  of  the  Italian 
school  from  prima  donna  soprano  down  to  the  hairy  artist 
at  the  crank  of  a hand  organ.  The  father,  a strenuous 
party,  played  a (relatively  small)  koto  or  harp,  his  wife 
played  the  samisen  or  banjo,  the  father’s  brother  murdered 
a drum  and  their  four  children  danced  while  the  elders 
thrummed,  twanged,  banged  and  sang  an  accompaniment. 
The  orchestra,  so  to  speak,  stood  or  squatted  outside  the 
door,  and  the  children — a big  boy  of  thirteen,  a slim  little 
girl  of  ten,  a little  witch  of  six  and  a poor  little  boy  of 
four — were  the  main  performers.  The  two  girls  were 
dressed  in  brilliant  kimonos  like  geishas  with  equally 
startling  obi.  It  was  really  charming,  the  grace  and 
witchery  of  the  little  girl  of  six  who  had  all  the  arts  of 
the  geisha.  Her  pantomine  and  posing  were  the  very 
essence  of  plastic  coquetry,  and  pleased  the  whole  company 
of  guests.  The  elder  girl  was  more  finely  trained  and 
precise  in  her  rhythm : she  did  best  in  a sword  dance  with 
the  big  boy,  imitating  the  stage  samurai  with  skill — but  the 
little  one  was  the  born  dancer.  The  big  boy  did  a capital 
Pine  Tree  Dance,  that  I saw  somewhere  else.  He  stood  on 
one  foot  on  a stool.  Taking  an  open  fan  in  each  hand,  and 
one  between  his  big  toe  and  the  next  one  of  the  free  foot. 


234 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


having  one  fan  fastened  on  his  forehead,  while  holding 
another  in  his  teeth,  he  gave  imitations  of  various  famous 
old  pine  trees  of  Japan — which  are  not  at  all  like  our  pine 
trees,  in  that  they  do  not  grow  straight  up,  and  send  their 
branches  out  at  all  manner  of  queer  angles.  They  made  a 
good  silver  collection,  and  gave  an  interesting  performance. 
The  charming  little  chap  of  four,  dressed  in  a “Western” 
brown  linen  suit  made  much  of  the  fun,  striving  with 
intense  seriousness  to  imitate  the  little  charmer  of  six  in 
a pas  de  deux,  in  which  each  is  supposed  to  keep  time  and 
gesture  with  the  other.  She  was  evidently  distressed  about 
him,  and  would  frequently  stop,  put  his  arms  in  the  right 
position,  and  then  resume — all  with  the  motherly  air  of  a 
little  woman. 

Of  course  one  drives  out  along  the  road  of  eryptomerias, 
a marvel  in  its  way,  but  after  the  gigantic  boles  of  the 
lyeyasu  and  lyemitsu  temple  grounds  the  roadside  lines  of 
the  trees  suffer  by  the  comparison.  You  have  not  seen 
Milan,  or  Notre  Dame  de  Paris,  or  Rome  or  Rheims  (before 
the  Hun)  but  you  have  revelled  in  miracles  of  carven  wood 
and  violent  colour  set  among  dark  huge  trees,  and  you  leave 
Nikko  with  profound  impressions. 

Osaka  in  one  guidebook  is  slighted  as  a place  you  had 
better  run  over  from  Kobe  to  see  for  a few  hours  and  then 
run  back  again,  but  that  is  not  true.  The  same  is  to  this 
day  said  by  certain  hotel  people  of  Yokohama  with  regard 
to  the  attractions  of  Tokyo.  And  possibly  reasons  not 
wholly  unconnected  with  some  hotel  relations  may  account 
for  the  Kobe  “knock”  at  Osaka  which  has  stirring  an- 
tiquities and  nearly  a million  and  a half  of  people  working 
at  every  business  under  the  sun.  I enjoyed  three  busy 
days  there.  It  is  on  Osaka  Bay,  which  opens  out  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  and  stands  in  a plain.  It  is  intersected  not 
only  by  the  Kadogawa  River  which  comes  down  from  Kyoto 
under  another  name  but  by  scores  of  canals  crossed  by  eight 


NIKKO  AND  THE  ISLE-SPANGLED  SEAS  235 


hundred  bridges — the  Japanese  Venice,  if  you  please.  No 
city  in  Japan  has  a greater  density  of  population,  and  since 
all  are  workers  or  school  children  the  streets  swarm  at  all 
hours  of  the  day.  At  night  the  streets  where  the  theatres 
are, — one  street  being  given  up  entirely  to  five  theatres, 
among  them  the  celebrated  Nanniwa-sa  and  tea  houses — 
the  myriad  electric  lights,  the  multitude  of  fluttering  flags, 
the  glaring  signs,  the  festive  air  of  everybody  give  one  the 
Oriental  equivalent  of  our  Great  White  Way.  Apropos 
of  this,  it  is  funny  to  recall  the  blunder  of  a traveller  and 
book  writer  who  described  the  audience  at  a classic  tragedy 
in  a theatre  there  as  going  out  to  weep  between  pieces  at 
“the  nearby  tear-houses.”  He  did  not  go  himself  or  he 
would  have  heard  merry  laughter,  noted  much  drinking  of 
tea  and  in  the  restaurants  of  every  grade  much  solid  eating 
going  on.  It  was  here  I saw  the  famous  marionettes  that 
made  even  the  geishas  weep,  and  some  of  the  modern 
Japanese  dramas  that  last  seven  hours,  beginning  at  three 
in  the  afternoon  and  not  out  before  ten  at  night.  For  an 
hour  thereafter  Theatre  Street  is  a lively  sight  but  by 
midnight  all  is  silent  and  dark.  Japan,  you  see,  gets  up 
early. 

Osaka  Castle  that  stands  by  the  water  front  is  only  the 
stump  of  the  castle  that  was.  Here  were  tremendous 
battles  waged  what  time  the  Tokugawa  family  of  nobles 
were  fighting  their  way  to  the  shogunate,  which  once  won, 
they  held  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  years,  making  the 
feudalized,  compacted,  organized,  isolated  Japan  that  faced 
our  Commodore  Perry  in  1853.  It  was  truly  a great 
fortress  for  its  day,  and  like  other  great  fortresses  had 
evil  fortunes.  The  bigger  the  fortress  the  bigger  the  force 
that  goes  up  against  it.  The  outer  walls  and  the  massive 
lofty  inner  keep  of  1583  have  disappeared,  the  latter  by 
fire  and  the  former  by  the  march  of  improvements.  What 
remains  is  still  astonishing.  Cyclopean  walls  with  wide 


236 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


deep  moats  still  remain,  showing  granite  blocks  of  great 
size.  One  I measured  was  thirty-five  feet  by  eighteen  feet. 
Their  transportation  must  have  been  a problem,  and  it  does 
not  surprise  one  to  learn  that  60,000  unfortunates  worked 
day  and  night  on  rearing  the  pile  for  three  years.  As 
it  rose — a challenge  to  the  gods  of  war — it  was  not  long 
in  having  its  granite  gauntlet  taken  up.  In  1614,  lyeyasu 
Tokugawa  with  180,000  men  besieged  Hideyori  and  his 
90,000  ronins.  In  1615  with  270,000  troops  lyeyasu  swept 
over  the  fortress  with  awful  slaughter  and  Hideyori  com- 
mitted suicide.  The  remains  of  this  great  battleground  are 
still  impressive.  It  is  a military  station  today,  and  its 
upraised  granite  platform  commands  a grand  view  of  the 
city  and  its  surroundings.  On  the  landward  side  moun- 
tains miles  away  cut  the  high  horizon  line  and  the  city 
stretches  below  you  on  all  sides — mostly  low,  tile-roofed 
houses  with  factory  buildings  and  scores  of  factory  chim- 
neys wherever  you  look.  You  will  visit  the  Buddhist 
temple,  the  Tenno-ji  with  its  thousand  year  old  Buddha; 
you  will  possibly  feed  the  turtles  of  which  there  are  634,308 
in  the  turtle  court : you  will  drop  in  on  the  weU  where  the 
pious  pray  for  their  dead.,  and  by  way  of  big  things  you 
will  see  “the  biggest  hanging  bell  in  the  world.”  It  stands 
twenty-six  feet  high,  is  sixteen  feet  across  its  mouth  and 
eighteen  inches  thick  at  the  lip.  It  takes  the  trunk  of  a 
great  tree  to  make  it  boom.  I visited  all  sorts  of  factories 
and  looked  in  at  the  Rice  Exchange.  It  was  a fair  imita- 
tion of  the  Chicago  wheat  pit  in  its  bedlam  of  sellers  and 
bidders,  and  somehow  recalled  Munkaczy’s  Christ  Before 
Pilate  with  the  bidders’  bare  brown  arms  thrown  up  or 
going  like  windmills.  Its  strident  industrial  life  and  grind 
and  hurry  are  a novelty  in  Japan.  It  is  not,  then,  on  the 
whole  a lovely  town,  but  very  human. 

Kobe  another  great  industrial  and  shipping  city  of  half 
a million  is  not  far  from  Osaka.  It  is  Osaka  on  a lesser 


i 


KEGAX  FALLS,  XEAR  LAKE  CHUZEXJI.  200  FEET  HIGH 


NIKKO  AND  THE  ISLE-SPANGLED  SEAS  237 


scale.  There  are  many  foreign  merchants  there  making 
quite  a colony,  and  in  the  Chronicle  they  have  quite  the 
best  English  newspaper  in  the  Empire,  technically  at  any 
rate.  The  Tor  Hotel  to  which  foreigners  mostly  go  is 
finely  situated.  I had  much  to  do  visiting  the  great 
Kawasaki  dockyard,  the  Kanegafuchi  cotton  mills  and  so 
on.  I have  written  about  them  elsewhere.  What  I wish  to 
note  here  is  a little  trip  we  made  one  evening  after  dinner 
by  kuruma  from  the  Mikado  Hotel  through  the  lighted 
picturesque  streets  of  the  city  to  the  Nomibiki  waterfall 
on  the  hilly  outskirts.  The  water  comes  down  from  the 
hills  up  which  one  ascends  gradually  to  a point  where  the 
poor  kurumaya  cannot  further  go.  Thence  it  is  a winding 
fairy-like  walk  up  a smart  incline  to  the  foot  of  the  falls. 
Of  these  there  are  two  distinct  streams,  one  called  the 
male,  the  highest,  and  the  other  and  lower,  the  female.  It 
is  around  the  latter  that  the  interest  centres.  The  walk 
was  thronged  with  thousands  of  the  Kobe  people,  young 
and  old,  going  up  or  coming  down  in  a dense  stream,  the 
girls  and  children  in  bright-coloured  raiment  and  all 
decorously  merry.  The  entire  way  was  brightly  and  cun- 
ningly illuminated  with  thousands  of  electric  bulbs  of  many 
colours,  with  naive  effects  of  fireflies  in  the  trees,  an  illum- 
inated fountain  in  a wide  basin,  and  a powerful  reflected 
light  of  changing  hues  playing  on  the  waterfall  itself  which 
is  a cascade  pouring  down  with  a roar  some  forty  feet  in 
a solid,  sparkling  stream  about  three  feet  wide.  We  sat  in 
a little  restaurant  and  drank  “citron,”  a feeble  lemonade, 
enjoying  it  all  as  did  our  neighbours.  The  run  home, 
mostly  downhill,  through  the  dim,  quieted  city  was 
delightful. 

Turning  away  from  the  cities  and  their  fatiguing  days 
let  us  glimpse  a toothsome  day  of  rest  and  quiet  joy  that 
came  to  me  in  a bypath  of  travel  in  Japanese  South 
Manchuria. 


238 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


Rokotan  is  a name  that  awakens  pleasant  memories.  I 
had  just  reached  Dairen  from  Tientsin  on  my  way  from 
Peking  to  Japan,  and  the  summer  stifle  of  the  great  Chinese 
capital  still  enervated  me.  I was  contemplating  a day’s 
work  of  writing  without  any  enthusiasm  when  the  amiable 
Dr.  Uyeda  called.  Said  he,  “You  still  look  hot:  ah,  you 
should  not  work  today:  come  and  be  cool.”  So  we  went. 
An  automobile  was  at  the  door  and  we  were  soon  free  of 
the  town  and  its  hum  of  business  and  were  running  for 
three  or  four  miles  along  the  coast  line.  Turning  suddenly 
seaward  we  ran  over  a low  hill  and  then  down  to  the 
margin  of  a rock-circled  little  harbour — Rokotan.  The 

open  sea  lay  beyond.  Lovely  the  scene  was  that  exquisite 
morning.  A blue  sky  was  over  all  and  the  sea  beyond  the 
grassy  headlands  right  and  left  was  of  miraculous  blue  as 
well,  while  the  harbour  water  splashing  in  white  foam 
against  the  rocks  shaded  seaward  from  palest  aquamarine 
through  every  deepening  shade  of  green  to  the  super- 
amethyst of  the  outer  waters.  Now  a junk  with  quaint 
brown  sails,  now  a steamer  with  trailing  smoke  plumes, 
or  little  fisher  boats  moved  across  in  the  offing.  Truly 
what  met  the  eye  soothed  and  invited.  But  Dr.  Uyeda 
would  show  me  something  else.  Leading  the  way  over  the 
rocks  below  us,  he  halted  before  a water-space  over  which 
between  huge  boulders  was  stretched  a roof  of  canvas 
matting. 

“Fish-pool,”  he  said  and  smiled.  Down  in  the  clear 
though  shaded  water  one  saw  after  a few  seconds  some 
two  hundred  sizable  fish  led  by  a patriarch  of  at  least 
thirty  inches  circling  in  solemn  procession  around  the 
roomy  enclosure. 

“Tai,”  said  he,  and  made  a smacking  sound  with  his 
lips,  eloquent  of  joy  near  at  hand. 

To  a dainty  tea  house  perched  above  us  with  a grassy 
lawn  in  front  of  it,  we  sauntered  botanizing.  The  doctor 


NIKKO  AND  THE  ISLE-SPANGLED  SEAS  239 


clapped  his  hands,  and  forth  came  a beautiful  lady  with  a 
madonna  face — a Spanish  madonna  face — which  I had 
noted  as  peculiar  to  the  beauties  of  Osaka.  Those  bows 
and  courtesies  followed  which  mark  Japan’s  high-water 
mark  of  breeding  and  the  doctor,  undoubtedly  an  old 
customer,  held  brief  converse  with  the  lady  who  soon  de- 
parted smiling  and  bowing.  We  lolled  and  reclined  on  the 
lawn  enjoying  the  charm  of  it  all  and  I asked  the  doctor 
if  the  lady  was  from  Osaka.  “She  is.  How  do  you 
know?”  I told  him.  He  thought  it  wonderful.  I said  it 
was  not;  that  if  he  had  seen  the  Spanish  madonnas  of 
Murillo  he,  too,  would  notice  the  likeness.  The  doctor 
smiled,  and  asked  might  it  be  a Portuguese  face.  Yes,  it 
might  be.  ‘ ‘ There  were  many  Portuguese  sailors  and  some 
traders  in  Osaka  and  Nagasaki  in  the  sixteenth  century 
before  the  isolation  of  Japan  by  the  orders  of  the  Tokugawa 
shoguns,  and  who  knows  what  romances  they  may  have 
had.  You  have  perhaps  rediscovered  their  descendants  who 
have  forgotten  their  ancestors.” 

We  had  seen  a stripling  with  a pole  net  go  down  to  the 
mat-shaded  fish-pool  as  we  talked  of  madonna  faces,  and 
presently  the  lady  led  from  the  tea  house  a little  idyllic 
procession  of  three  maidens  each  bearing  a lacquered  tray 
the  masterpiece  on  which  was  a whole  tai  cooked  to  a golden 
hue  with  greenery  and  rice  and  condiments  in  corners. 

Never  was  such  delicious  white  fish-meat  as  that  under 
the  brittle  gold  of  the  outer  skin  as  our  chopsticks  laid 
it  bare  and  conveyed  it  where  it  should  go.  The  madonna 
lady  squatted  on  the  grass  beside  us,  and  the  doctor  told 
her  of  our  historical  discovery,  gilding  it,  I fear,  with  the 
statement  that  her  Portuguese  ancestor  was  nothing  less 
than  an  admiral.  At  any  rate  the  lady  was  highly  pleased, 
and  when  we  had  offered  cigar  smoke  by  way  of  incen.se 
to  the  local  gods,  leaving  only  the  bones  of  the  tai  and  our 
admiration  behind  us,  she  arose  prettily  and  walked  with 


240 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


us  to  the  gate  of  her  delectable  domain.  I would  have  liked 
to  repeat  that  visit  to  Rokotan. 

I journeyed  to  Miyajima  by  rail  from  the  port  of  Shimono- 
seki,  whose  water  approach  is  so  much  more  impressive  than 
the  same  passage  .outward  bound.  Miyajima  (Temple 
Island)  is  celebrated  in  Japanese  eyes  because  it  is  a holy 
place  and  to  the  foreigner  because  it  is  the  place  of  a 
huge  crimson  torii  set  out  in  the  sea-water  before  the 
shrine,  of  which  photographs  are  as  many  as  Fujiyama, 
and  nearly  as  popular.  Partly  also  because  it  is  a good 
place  to  start  from  on  a trip  through  the  Inland  Sea.  I 
wrote  at  the  time : 

“The  island  lies  across  a half-mile  strait  from  the  main- 
land, and  a trim  little  hotel  launch  took  us  over  in  good 
shape.  We  had  glimpses  of  the  Inland  Sea  of  Japan  at 
intervals  along  the  railroad.  Of  course  we  instantly  recog- 
nized the  great  red  torii  that  stands  out  in  the  water  at 
high  tide.  We  were,  however,  landed  about  one-quarter 
mile  away  and  proceeded  on  foot  up  and  over  a winding 
path  along  the  cliff  face,  and  so  gradually  descending  to 
the  hotel  which  stands  in  a grove  of  fine  trees  some  quite 
old.  A big  camphor  tree  is  near  it.  The  sleeping  rooms 
— the  best  of  them  at  any  rate — are  in  a separate,  more 
modern  building,  and  our  party  was  given  three  rooms,  on 
the  second  floor  looking  out  on  a wooded  ravine  alive  with 
the  chirp  of  cicada  and  the  trickle  and  purling  of  water 
below.  There  were  baths,  and  we  had  tea  and  a rest. 
Toward  the  cool  of  the  afternoon  we  sallied  forth  for  a stroll 
to  the  temple  (Shinto)  and  walked  along  streets  fiUed  with 
cheap  curio  stores,  and  up  to  ‘The  Hall  of  a Thousand 
Mats’ — a large  hall,  anyway,  built  by  some  shogun  or 
other.  Some  soldiers  going  to  the  Japan-Chinese  war, 
hung  up  their  rice  spoons  there  as  pledges  of  their  loyalty 
and  devotion.  Others  followed  and  so  there  must  be  fifty 


NIKKO  AND  THE  ISLE-SPANGLED  SEAS  241 


thousand  paddles  of  every  size  variously  inscribed  covering 
the  whole  interior.  Then  we  ascended  a little  hill  over- 
looking the  water  and  the  town,  and  descending,  saw  a 
golden  sunset  through  the  red  pillars  of  the  torii.  It  was 
all  and  more  than  the  photographs  foretold,  something  of 
the  majesty  of  the  infinite  in  this  framing  of  the  orb  of 
day  above  the  majesty  of  the  sea  at  a golden  moment  for 
both,  something  stalwart  in  the  great  crimson  lines  of  the 
symbolic  frame,  something  mystically  awe-inspiring  in 
it  all. 

"The  tide  was  low  and  we  crossed  on  the  sand  reaching 
the  hotel  for  dinner.  The  place  has  a historic  religious 
past  much  exploited.  It  is  a great  resort  for  pilgrims.  At 
times  they  come  in  thousands,  though  \ve  were  the  only 
pilgrims  that  evening.  We  went  to  bed  early  after  sitting 
on  the  balcony  back  of  our  rooms  listening  to  the  cool 
tinkle  of  the  water.  We  had  to  get  up  at  four-thirty.  It 
was  daylight,  and  breakfast  ordered  the  night  before  was 
ready  at  5 a.m.  Now  for  the  Inland  Sea. 

‘ ‘ The  steamboat  which  we  took  blew  her  whistle  about  six 
o’clock,  and  we  went  on  board  in  the  launch  as  the  vessel 
lay  out  in  the  stream.  Our  path  was  through  the  Inland 
Sea,  a fascinating  sea  of  islands,  with  wide  channels  and 
many  reaches  and  beautiful  views.  Small  sailing  craft 
fairly  swarmed,  fishers  and  carriers.  It  was  all  delightful. 
The  boat,  Temiu  Maru,  was  not  overclean  forward,  but 
fairly  so  aft  where  we  took  our  places  on  the  upper  deck, 
and  life  went  by  for  the  morning  hour  between  observation, 
drowse  and  dream.  About  noon  we  ate  the  lunches  which 
the  hotel  provided.  It  would  be  extremely  difficult  to 
convey  more  than  a general  impression  of  this  enthralling 
waterway.  It  is  mostly  a wide  passage  with  the  islands, 
always  green-clad  and  mountainous,  on  either  hand  with 
exquisite  little  gulfs  and  bays  and  harbours  and  channels 
giving  every  variety  of  water  view.  Cultivation  was  visible 


242 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


on  all  sides  wherever  nature  gave  a chance  for  man  to  grow 
anything.  The  hills  are  all  green  with  some  timber  grow- 
ing. Little  and  large  towns  appeared  as  we  passed  mostly 
grey  of  aspect,  the  homes  at  others  peeping  through  trees. 
Water  craft  of  every  kind  that  goes  by  sail  or  steam  were 
on  the  waterways.  Oriental  junks  lumbering  by,  black 
steamers  rushing  past,  yachts,  sampans,  tugboats,  men-of- 
war  of  many  patterns  went  hither  and  thither.  Even  an 
old-style  barkentine  with  every  white  sail  from  main  to 
royals  set  and  drawing,  swept  by. 

“We  passed  a great  naval  depot.  Photgraphy  is  for- 
bidden, the  hills,  it  is  said,  being  all  fortified.  We  saw  no 
sign  of  it.  When  we  were  an  hour  or  two  past  the  naval 
station  where  a few  smaller  warships  were  at  anchor,  I 
was  told  we  were  out  of  the  war  zone.  Thereupon  I took 
a couple  of  pictures  of  the  Inland  Sea,  and  was  about  to 
take  one  of  a group  on  deck  when  an  officer  of  the  boat 
stopped  me.  Forbidden ! 

“We  went  ashore  perilously  at  Onomiehi  at  half -past  two 
in  a sampan  crowded  with  passengers  and  luggage.” 

Beautiful  and  full  of  life  and  movement  and  typical  in 
all  things  of  Nippon  as  I found  the  Inland  Sea,  there  was 
one  archipelagic  experience  that  beggared  it.  A discovery 
it  was,  unannounced  in  any  guidebook,  uncelebrated  in 
any  book  of  travel  I ever  saw.  Indeed  when  I afterward 
told  something  of  its  vastness  and  its  wonders  in  Tokyo, 
quite  learned  and  travelled  and  well-read  native  gentlemen 
confessed  they  had  never  even  heard  of  it.  Yet  to  thou- 
sands of  the  seafarers  it  is  sui’ely  known.  It  is  an  open 
book  to  the  Japanese  Navy,  but  the  naval  folk  of  Japan  are 
not  by  any  means  open-mouthed,  and  one  hears  little  from 
them.  It  is  known  every  foot  of  it  to  the  National  Geodetic 
Survey  and  the  water  police  have  marked  it  for  their  very 
own.  It  is  the  Korean  Archipelago.  It  w^as  on  the  trip 


1.  MIVAJIMA  PAGODA  AND  "THE  HALL  OF  A THOUSAND  MATS” 

2.  MIYAJIMA  TORir 


1.  KOWTA  ISLAND,  ONOMICHI,  ON  THE  INLAND  SEA 

2.  MATSUSHIMA  (PINE  ISLANDS),  VIEW  FROM  FL’ROZAN 


NIKKO  AND  THE  ISLE-SPANGLED  SEAS  243 


from  Dairen  on  the  Liaotung  Peninsula  to  Japan  that  I 
made  its  acquaintance  entirely  without  warning.  Look  on 
the  ordinary  map  of  the  south  coast  of  Korea,  and  generally 
the  land  line  seems  a rounded  sweep  bare  of  islands.  On 
larger  maps  I have  seen  a few  dotted  islands  but  no  sug- 
gestion of  the  reality.  We  had  passengers  aboard  who  had 
made  the  trip  in  both  directions  and  were  as  much  sur- 
prised as  I was.  They  had  steamed  out  of  Dairen,  viewed 
sea  and  receding  land,  ate  contentedly,  slept  comfortably 
and  so  through  another  day  and  night  and  would  have 
entered  in  a diarj’  if  they  kept  one  “trip  without  inci- 
dent,” as  they  lifted  the  shores  of  Japan,  mountainous  and 
island-fronted  in  the  gold  of  the  morning.  It  was  such  a 
traveller  who  fairly  yelled  as  the  company  sat  at  lunch  on 
the  noon  after  our  first  night  out. 

“What  is  that  rock?” 

We  rushed  to  the  open  ports  and  beheld  high,  stony 
islands  and  jagged,  spear-topped  rocks  around  us. 

‘ ‘ I never  saw  that  before.  Where  are  we  ? ” 

So  all  hands  scurried  up  on  deck.  What  a picture! 

We  were  sailing  on  an  even  keel  over  blue  still  water 
amid  a maze  of  mountainous  islands,  islets  and  great  rocks. 
Not  a sign  of  human  life  in  sight.  A feeling  of  danger 
was  inseparable  from  the  first  sensation,  nor  did  it  wholly 
disappear  as  mile  after  mile  was  ravelled  off  in  this  for- 
midable grandeur  and  silence. 

Yes,  this  was  the  Korean  Archipelago  on  the  southern  tip 
of  Korea,  maybe  sixty  miles  across  and  it  might  be  ten  to 
twenty  miles  wide.  The  smiling  captain  knew  it  well  or 
he  would  not  be  there,  be  sure  of  that.  How  could  he  tell 
about  it  in  advance  when  he  never  knew  until  he  reached 
its  outer  sentinels  when  it  would  be  safe  to  take  the  Taichu 
Maru  through  or  go  on  many  leagues  to  the  South  before 
rounding  the  peninsula.  Perhaps  not  once  in  ten  times 
could  he  take  it.  Fog,  mist,  wind  or  heavy  sea  were  the 


244 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


things  to  be  counted  with.  It  was  surely  not  his  business 
to  hold  a geography  class  at  the  start  of  each  voyage,  and 
say  expect  this  and  that,  and  if  it  was  all  right  he  would 
take  his  ship  thus  and  so.  Besides  he  thought  everybody 
knew.  Certainly  Admiral  Togo  knew  when  he  stowed 
away  the  great  Japanese  fleet  in  these  rock-guarded  waters 
what  time  he  was  waiting  for  the  big  Russian  flotillas 
under  Rostjevensky  as  they  came  up  to  their  doom  off 
Tsushima  islands  some  water  leagues  away.  The  captain 
did  not  say  these  things  till  afterward,  for  as  wq  stared 
and  wondered  he  was  standing  by  the  wheel,  his  watchful 
eyes  skipping  from  hilltop  to  hilltop,  and  the  steamer, 
answering  to  his  orders,  went  smoothly  ahead  over  the  wide 
water  floor  or  turned  in  a white  curve  to  starboard  or  to 
port,  again  to  straighten  out. 

Volcanic  rocks  of  all  kinds  rose  out  of  the  smooth  sea- 
floor, some  lifting  to  great  heights  a mile  or  two  square, 
others  starting  up  in  weird  forms  like  fantastic  spear- 
points,  or  lighthouses  without  lights,  like  pulpits  for  the 
albatross,  like  church  organs  of  some  rock  cathedral,  like 
the  ribbed  skeletons  of  mammoths  of  the  pliocene.  The 
channels  through  which  the  Taichu  Maru  glided  were 
generally  a mile,  even  two  miles  wide  at  times,  and  some- 
times four  or  five  miles  long.  Looking  for  guide  posts  we 
discovered  tall  tripods  on  the  hilltops.  The  captain  knew 
what  they  stood  for,  not  we.  In  every  direction  the  view 
is  closed  by  rocks  and  islands  apparently  by  thousands. 
Our  path  turned  and  twisted  amazingly.  Sometimes  we 
seemed  steering  against  a sheer  wall  of  rock,  but  nearing 
the  cliff  we  turned  and  found  a new  grand  vista  of  rock 
and  water  stretching  beyond.  The  sense  of  a vast,  austere, 
primeval,  island-dotted  solitude,  an  enclosed  loneliness  was 
complete.  It  seemed  a home  of  fable  rather  than  a mun- 
dane reality — a region  of  the  graves  of  a dead  world  or 
one  begun  on  a grandiose  scale  and  left  unfinished.  Several 


NIKKO  AND  THE  ISLE-SPANGLED  SEAS  245 


times  a dark  rock  miles  away  looked  like  the  hull  of  a 
stranded  ship  with  foam  spouting  over  it.  The  blue  water 
so  smooth  in  mid-channel  achieved  a lashing  force  in  the 
crevices  of  the  rocks.  In  one  cove  that  we  passed  there 
was  a small  Korean  fishing  boat  at  anchor.  In  another 
a fishing  boat  drawn  up  on  a little  patch  of  beach  a couple 
of  miles  away.  Our  glasses  showed  no  life  aboard.  A 
small  steamer  making  a long,  black  plume  of  soft-coal 
smoke  crept  by  at  a half-mile  distance — the  only  living, 
moving  thing  discernible  in  all  the  four  hours  that  it  took 
to  reach  the  open  sea  again.  All  in  all  it  was  the  most 
imposing  awe-inspiring  water-realm  that  ever  met  my  eyes. 
It  made  all  others  seen  before  or  since  pale  and  small. 

Matsushima  remained  yet  to  see.  It  is  counted  as  one 
of  the  great  sights  of  Japan.  Coming  back  to  Tokyo  from 
Nikko  I was  tempted  to  go  there,  but  something  prevented 
then  and  with  regret  and  a hope  of  another  chance  I passed 
the  railroad  junction  by.  Its  cloud  of  pine-clad  islets  de- 
scribed to  me  as  like  the  Thousand  Islands  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  haunted  me  a little.  I read  of  them  later  in 
Brieux’s  book  of  travel,  how  he  discounted  their  beauty  in 
advance  in  his  somewhat  hlase  boulevardier  way,  and  then 
how  approaching  them  unseen,  he  was  drawn  up  the 
shoulder  of  a hill,  and  suddenly  they  burst  into  view  as 
they  lay  outspread  in  the  bay  beneath  and  beyond.  He 
admitted  it  was  worth  while.  I resolved  to  go.  They  lie 
on  the  Pacific  side  of  the  great  central  island  of  Hondo, 
well  to  the  north  of  Tokjm,  so  it  was  necessary  to  plan  the 
visit  as  best  I could  on  my  route.  At  last  I saw  my  oppor- 
tunity. I questioned  the  hotel  manager  after  dinner  one 
evening  at  Miyanoshita,  and  he  was  not  over  enthusiastic, 
as  became  one  who  rather  wished  to  retain  his  guest  than 
to  see  him  depart  even  for  Paradise.  His  attitude  did  not 
deceive  me  for  a minute.  There  was,  however,  in  a certain 
cosy,  curtained  parlour,  he  said,  a book  of  photographic 


246 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


views.  I could  see  for  myself.  I sat  down  there  and  was 
enchanted.  I recalled  my  first  glimpse  of  the  islands  of 
Lake  George — on  my  honeymoon  long,  long  ago.  So  I went 
to  Matsushima.  It  was  in  the  bright  morning  light  that 
I went  up  that  rounded  hill,  my  two  riekisha  men  bending 
and  panting  before  me.  I alighted  and  went  up  over  the 
brow  of  the  hill  and  saw  the  wonderful  sight.  Below  was 
a little  harbour  with  golden  sunlight  on  the  waters,  and 
beyond  the  pine  islands  in  every  imaginable  grouping  lying 
mostly  to  the  right.  Why  was  that  left  side  so  bare?  In 
my  mind  I began  saying:  “I  would  put  an  island  over 
there,  no,  three  islands,  and  then  a couple  midway.”  The 
riekisha  men  had  come  out  beside  me.  One  of  them 
pointed,  and  there  beneath  me  were  a string  of  little  pine 
islands  fioating  easily,  slowly  out  of  the  harbour.  Pour 
little  Japanese  men  in  short  drawers  and  bare  legs  on  each 
island  were  poling  them  out.  When  the  leading  islet,  its 
two  pine  trees  rocking  gently,  reached  the  point  where  I 
had  hoped  to  see  one,  the  little  chaps  on  board,  taking  huge 
wooden  mallets  as  big  as  themselves,  began  driving  stakes 
through  the  soil  on  the  islands  to  anchor  them.  I laughed, 
but  some  one  at  my  elbow  was  saying : 

“We  close  up  hotel,  honourable  sir:  may  be  good 
go  bed.  ’ ’ 


CHAPTER  XVII 


JAPANESE  NEWSPAPERS 

The  Far  Eastern  newspaper  man — Many  college  men — An  elastic 
censorship — The  first  modern  daily  in  1871 — 3,000  newspapers 
now — Mere  mushroom  rise  and  fall  of  many  publications — 
The  five  leading  vernacular  dailies — The  one-cent  daily  every- 
where— Growth  of  democratization — The  English  language 
press — In  a native  establishment — The  home  feeling  of  the 
American  newspaper  man — The  editors  and  reporters  at  work 
— The  composing  room — A compositor  must  know  and  find 
10,000  ideographic  characters — A livel}’  scene. 

The  visit  of  half  a score  representatives  of  the  leading 
Japanese  newspapers  to  America  was  an  unusual  event. 
They  crossed  the  Pacific  first  of  all  to  see  the  Panama 
Exposition  at  San  Francisco  and  then  to  look  into  the 
merits  of  the  Japanese- American  question,  particularly  as 
it  bears  upon  the  treatment  of  their  fellow  countrjmien 
already  settled  in  this  country.  They  visited  the  larger 
Japanese  settlements  in  California  at  Los  Angeles  and  near 
Sacramento. 

That  they  found  things  to  be  different  from  their  expec- 
tations is  not  unnatural,  for  gloomy  views  on  the  subject 
prevailed  in  the  Japanese  press.  Now  we  find  a Pacific 
coast  newspaper  like  the  Sacramento  Union  quoting  one 
of  the  visiting  editors  as  saying:  “I  find  conditions  among 
my  countrjTnen  much  better  than  I imagined  they  would 
be  while  in  Japan.”  Instead  of  a persecuted  race  these 
editors  found  the  Japanese  “as  a whole  prosperous,  many 
of  them  wealthy,”  and  “on  good  terms  with  their  Ameri- 

247 


248 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


can  neighbours”  and  so  on,  as  was  quite  true  and — natural. 

The  Japanese  newspaper  man  at  home  is  most  often  a 
university  or  at  least  a college  man,  but  as  in  America 
there  is  no  rule  about  it.  There  is  the  same  distribution 
of  grave,  wise  writers,  the  same  alert  observers,  the  same 
grey-faced,  stoop-shouldered  plodders,  the  same  irrespon- 
sible exaggerators  who  stop  at  nothing  to  make  a sensation, 
such  as  bless  our  own  newspaper  world. 

The  press  is  fairly  free  in  J apan ; that  is,  it  has  a very 
wide  range  of  untrammelled  discussion,  but  on  occasion  it 
may  and  often  does  hear  from  the  authorities  when  discus- 
sion passes  limits  or  broad  national  policies  are  traversed 
or  disclosures  made  in  directions  that  the  government 
desires  to  be  kept  dark.  There  are  certain  conventions 
regarding  mention  of  the  Emperor,  but  as  these  apply  to 
ordinary  conversation  they  come  natural  in  a way  to  the 
editors.  In  range  of  matters  treated  as  news  the  Japanese 
papers  resemble  our  own,  indeed  pattern  after  us  in  many 
ways  save  that  respect  for  the  person  and  for  private 
affairs  is  more  emphasized.  Financial,  commercial,  indus- 
trial matters  are  freely  treated,  but  domestic  and  foreign 
politics  take  the  lion’s  share  of  editorial  comment  and  news 
attention. 

Under  the  present  newspaper  regulation  dating  from 
1909  the  old  system  of  ordering  suspension  of  publication 
when  the  authorities  found  a paper  transgressing  has  been 
largely  replaced  by  sale  prohibitions.  Under  this  rule  all 
papers  are  obliged  to  send  a copy  of  every  issue  to  the 
metropolitan  police  board.  If  the  censor  finds  an  article 
“offensive  to  the  peace  and  order  of  the  community”  he 
may  at  once  prohibit  the  distribution  of  the  paper.  This 
he  usually  does  by  telephoning  to  the  newspaper  stands, 
railroad  stations  and  so  forth,  or  by  other  appropriate 
means. 

In  times  of  national  stress,  however,  the  Foreign  Office, 


JAPANESE  NEWSPAPERS 


249 


War  or  Navy  Department  may  issue  orders  not  to  report 
or  discuss  certain  subjects  without  permission,  in  which 
ease  the  newspapers  are  put  under  strict  censorship  and 
have  to  exhibit  a copy  to  the  authorities  before  they  are 
allowed  to  circulate  the  issue.  In  operation  I am  assured 
that  the  regulation  works  easily. 

There  is  certainly  latitude  of  criticism  even  of  matters 
governmental,  but  the  time  of  absolute  rule  is  still  not  so 
far  back  in  the  history  of  Japanese  journalism  as  to  en- 
courage the  writers  of  today  in  reckless  defiance  of  good 
taste,  good  morals  and  the  unwritten  law  of  fair  comment. 
Besides,  there  is  an  inner  loyalty  of  the  Japanese  which 
inclines  them  to  work  with  the  authorities  for  whatever 
the  latter  deem  the  good  of  Japan.  Following  the  Euro- 
pean practice  all  the  dailies  used  to  hire  dummy  editors  to 
go  to  jail  on  occasion  for  infractions  of  the  old  press  laws, 
and  although  the  new  law  takes  the  real  editor  as  well  as 
the  dummy  some  papers  still  keep  up  the  bad  old  practice. 

In  old  Japan  it  was  three  hundred  years  ago  that  the 
issue  of  printed  sheets  for  public  service  began  under  the 
Tokugawa  shogunate.  Yomiuri  they  were  called — that  is, 
“hawked  in  the  streets,”  referring  to  their  itinerant  mode 
of  sale.  They  were  given  over  to  court  happenings  and 
local  scandals  and  were  printed  from  wooden  blocks. 

In  the  modern  sense  journalism  in  Japan  is  scarce  a 
half-century  old.  There  was  a difficulty,  inasmuch  as  there 
is  no  Japanese  alphabet  and  it  was  necessary  to  use  ideo- 
graphs. The  first  daily  newspaper  appeared  at  Yokohama 
in  1871 — the  Yokohama  Mainiclii.  It  still  exists,  but  is 
published  in  Tokyo.  Others  followed — Nichi-Niclii  in 
1872,  Hochi  in  1873  and  Yomiuri  in  1874.  Thenceforward 
the  pace  was  rapid. 

The  call  to  knowledge  meant  the  need  of  newspapers, 
and  in  1914  there  were  861  newspapers  and  1,858  periodi- 
cals, a total  of  2,719,  and  now  fully  3,000,  some  of  the 


250 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


dailies  enjoying,  as  will  be  seen  later,  very  large  circu- 
lations. The  dailies  are  mostly  morning  editions,  but 
the  number  of  those  that  really  count  is  comparatively 
small. 

It  is  not  a very  costly  matter,  the  mere  starting  of  a new 
paper  in  Japan,  since  facilities  exist  for  printing  and 
publishing  in  the  larger  cities  which  obviate  the  necessity 
of  an  expensive  plant,  the  initial  expense  being  only  on  the 
editing  and  circulating  side.  In  case  the  newspaper  wishes 
to  treat  current  topics  it  must  deposit  with  the  government 
from  $10  to  $87.50  as  security  for  good  behaviour.  Hence 
there  are  many  starts  and  naturally  many  failures  to  catch 
the  public  ear. 

There  are  men  who  cannot  deny  themselves  the  luxury 
of  a personal  organ,  but  the  pain  of  a small  and  dimin- 
ishing response  to  the  trumpet  blast  and  the  discovery  that 
much  expenditure  must  precede  great  results  operate 
generally  in  the  direction  of  a quiet  demise.  These  failures 
are  the  skins  nailed  to  the  doors  of  the  great  dailies  pour 
encourager  les  autres.  As  in  London,  Paris  and  New 
York  the  successful  papers  tend  to  greater  and  greater 
circulations  ,and  the  new  ambitious  ventures  grow  fewer 
every  day.  Increases  in  number  come  from  the  general 
spread  of  education  and  the  growing  variety  of  special 
topics  inviting  exploitation. 

In  point  of  circulation  there  are  five  papers  that  lead 
all  the  rest,  and  among  these  is  an  evident  tendency 
to  have  separate  editions  in  Tokyo  and  Osaka,  which 
are  the  two  largest  cities  in  Japan,  lying  about  350 
miles  apart,  the  former  the  capital  and  seat  of  the 
government,  with  more  than  2,000,000  population,  and 
the  latter  a vast  trade  mart  and  factory  town  of 
about  1,500,000  souls.  The  five  establishments  show- 
ing largest  circulation  with  their  average  daily  issues 


are: 


JAPANESE  NEWSPAPERS  251 

Asahi  (Morning  Sun),  Osaka,  main  edition 350,000 

Tokyo  branch 200,000 

Mainichi  (Every  Day),  Osaka,  main  edition 300,000 

Nichi-Nichi  (Day  to  Day),  Tokyo  branch  of  Mainichi.  . 160,000 

Hochi  (Information),  Tokyo 300,000 

Kokumin  (Nation),  Tokyo 200,000 

Yorodzu  (Everything),  Tokyo 200,000 

Following  them  in  circulation  are : 

Jiji  (Current  Events),  Tokyo,  main  edition 50,000 

Osaka  branch  edition 20,000 

Miyako  (Metropolis),  Tokyo 80,000 

Chuo  (Centre),  Tokyo 40,000 

Sekai  (World),  Tokyo 20,000 

Yomiuri  (The  Street  Hawker),  Tokyo 30,000 

Chu-gai  (At  Home  and  Abroad),  commercial,  Tokyo..  20,000 

Maiyu  (Every  Evening),  commercial,  Tokyo 20,000 

Shimpo  (News),  Osaka 40,000 

Nippo  (Daily  News),  Osaka 50,000 


Here,  then,  are  the  seventeen  leading  daily  publications, 
with  a combined  circulation  of  2,080,000  copies,  supplying 
a population  of  some  4,000,000,  for  the  circulation  rule 
holds  good  in  Japan,  as  it  does  here,  namely,  that  once 
outside  the  city  or  town  of  origin  circulation  quickly  drops 
to  negligible  fractions.  In  the  United  States  the  town  that 
cannot  be  reached  well  before  noon  with  a morning  paper 
at  its  city  cost  offers  a small  field  for  circulation.  It  is 
the  rule  by  which  the  little  locals  live. 

In  the  other  towns  and  cities  a few  papers  may  be  found 
with  30,000  circulation,  as  in  Kyoto  and  Kobe,  but  the 
average  of  the  best  runs  at  about  10,000  copies,  the  rest 
tailing  downward  in  increasing  number  to  1,000  copies 
and  under. 

Dailies  in  Japan  generally  sell  on  the  stands  for  two  sen 
— the  equivalent  of  one  cent  in  our  money,  but  the  equiva- 


252 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


lent  of  two  cents  in  terms  of  Japanese  living.  Some,  like 
the  Hoclii  and  the  Yorodzu,  sell  for  one  sen.  All  papers, 
however,  make  large  reductions  for  a monthly  or  quarterly 
subscription.  So  important  are  these  reductions  that  (like 
Mark  Twain’s  discounts  in  the  book  trade)  it  would  seem 
as  though  the  publishers  would  have  to  give  you  money  if 
you  subscribed  for  five  years  in  advance. 

The  influence  of  the  press  becomes  greater  and  greater 
in  Japan  as  democratization  grows.  It  might  indeed  be 
put  the  other  way,  namely,  that  the  rising  democratic  tide 
is  fed  from  the  press.  Naturally,  then,  the  owners  and 
directors  of  important  papers  take  a more  prominent  place 
in  the  domain  of  personal  influence  and  popular  esteem. 
The  Asahi,  the  most  influential  paper,  is  completely  inde- 
pendent and  is  owned  by  the  partnership  of  Ryuhei  Mura- 
yama  and  Riichi  Uyeno.  They  handle  the  business  end 
only,  becoming  president  in  turn  year  and  year  about. 

The  Mainichi,  also  independent  and  highly  influential,  is 
owned  by  a stock  company,  of  which  H.  Motoyama  is  presi- 
dent. The  stockholders  are  all  business  men.  S.  Fuku- 
zawa,  second  son  of  the  late  Mr.  Fukuzawa,  founder  of  Keio 
University,  is  the  sole  owner  of  the  Jiji.  His  paper  is  in- 
d’ependent,  but  sometimes  inclined  to  be  semi-official,  not 
because  of  the  policy  of  the  paper,  but  because  of  its  having 
many  friends  in  official  circles  as  a natural  result  of  the 
fact  that  the  Keio  University  has  produced  more  prominent 
men  in  the  past  than  any  of  the  other  private  universities. 

I.  Tokutolin,  a well-known,  brilliant  writer,  is  the  sole 
owner  and  at  the  same  time  editor-in-chief  of  the  Kokumin. 

S.  Kuroyuwa,  a dashing,  clever  writer  whose  fame  rests 
on  able  translations  of  Western  fiction,  is  the  sole  owner 
and  editor-in-chief  of  the  Yorodzu.  The  Hochi  is  owned 
by  a small  group  of  men.  Count  (now  Marquis)  Okuma 
among  them,  and  Zenppaku  Miki  is  president  and  chief 
investor.  It  is  regarded  as  an  organ  of  the  Okuma  party. 


JAPANESE  NEWSPAPERS 


253 


The  Chuo  is  an,  organ  of  the  Seiyukai  or  largest  parlia- 
mentary group,  as  also  practically  is  the  Mai-yu,  of  which 
T.  Tokonami,  once  president  of  the  Imperial  Railways  and 
a leader  of  the  Seiyukai,  is  the  president. 

The  Chu-gai  is  owned  by  and  devoted  to  the  Mitsui 
interests.  It  prints  commercial  as  well  as  general  news. 
The  Yomiuri,  owned  by  Mr.  Motono,  brother  of  the  Am- 
bassador to  Russia,  is  rather  literary  in  tone  and  gives  up 
a whole  page  daily  to  woman.  The  Miyako,  owned  by 
Baron  Kusumoto,  noted  for  its  strong  editorials,  has  many 
good  writers,  inclusive  of  religionists,  notwithstanding  it 
is  circulated  chiefly  among  restaurants,  geisha  houses  and 
so  forth. 

The  Jiji,  Asahi  and  Mainichi  are  all  fair  and  unbiased 
papers,  standing  for  sane  and  safe  public  opinion.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  Yorodzu  and  Sekai,  cheap  and  sensational, 
are  considered  radical  and  what  we  call  “yellow.”  The 
Yorodzu  owes  much  to  translations  of  foreign  novels  of  the 
advanced  or  very  modern  kind. 

The  editors  and  writers  are  presentable  men,  a sprinkling 
of  haughty  scholars — the  samurai  of  the  quill,  as  it  were — 
and  the  rest  a bright  lot  of  men  of  the  world,  wide-awake, 
seeing  the  humorous  side  of  life  clearly  and  working  hard 
at  journalism  as  a business.  I had  the  good  fortune  to 
meet  about  sixty  of  the  leading  writers  and  workers  of 
the  Tokyo  and  Yokohama  press — vernacular  and  English — 
about  three-fourths  of  those  present  being  Japanese.  The 
occasion  was  a luncheon,  given  to  Count  Okuma  and  his 
Cabinet  Ministers  by  the  Japanese  and  International 
(foreign)  Press  Associations  at  the  Imperial  Hotel. 

It  was  surely  a sign  of  the  times  to  see  the  Prime 
Minister  and  the  Foreign,  War,  Navy,  Justice,  Education 
and  Finance  Ministers  of  the  Empire  sitting  down  of  an 
afternoon  on  equal  terms  with  these  cheerful  drivers  of  the 
fountain  pen  journalistic.  The  repast  was  admirable  and 


254 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


the  air  full  of  good-natured  banter  among  the  writers, 
many  of  whom  had  for  years  driven  verbal  sword  points 
into  each  other.  Mr.  Kuroiwa,  who  presided,  spoke  in 
Japanese  and  was  followed  by  an  ancient  and  reverend  Mr. 
McAuley  in  English  on  behalf  of  the  foreign  writers.  Both 
welcomed  the  statesmen  with  warm  words. 

Then  Count  Okuma  arose  and  in  his  brilliant,  cursive 
way  of  easy  eloquence  told  the  press  men  how  much  he 
thought  of  them  and  what  a fine  chance  they  had  to  do 
things  and  avoid  things  not  right.  Then,  to  my  amazement 
and  amusement,  he  addressed  about  fifteen  minutes  of  his 
speech  to  me,  gazing  directly  at  me  across  the  table 
with  all  sorts  of  emotions  (mostly  those  of  the  friendly 
humourist  who  is  having  the  time  of  his  life  at  your 
expense)  leaping  in  little  flashes  from  his  small  black  eyes. 

It  was  vastly  entertaining  to  the  company,  who  roared 
at  the  Premier’s  sallies,  and  proved  to  be  a warm  praise 
of  America,  combined  with  advice  and  suggestion  as  to 
how,  hand  in  hand  with  Japan,  we  could  do  so  much  to 
better  the  world.  I had  had  the  honour  of  listening  to  an 
address  by  his  Excellency  at  his  splendid  home  the  week 
before  for  over  an  hour  (by  way  of  an  interview),  and 
he  was  now  telling  the  company  what  good  things  he  had 
said  then.  Except  when  I caught  the  word  “America”  I 
was  in  blank  ignorance  of  what  he  was  saying,  save  as  the 
dark  little  eyes  emitted  their  dot  and  dash  flashes  and  the 
joy  of  the  newspaper  men  around  rolled  into  good-natured 
laughter  or  sympathetic  monosyllables.  I enjoyed  it  too 
when  I was  over  my  first  surprise,  for  you  can  tell  the 
ring  of  friendly  laughter  from  the  bitter  kind  as  easily  as 
you  can  distinguish  between  the  call  of  a robin  and  the 
hiss  of  a serpent  or  a goose. 

After  the  lunch  there  was  a reception,  where  we  smoked 
cigars,  and  I found  that  many  of  the  gentlemen  in  hakama 
spoke  excellent  English,  and  all  were  enjoying  themselves. 


JAPANESE  NEWSPAPERS 


255 


Of  the  newspapers  and  magazines  in  English  published 
in  Japan  it  is  not  necessary  to  speak  here  at  length.  The 
dailies  number  nine  or  ten  and  their  circulations  are  not 
large,  but  their  influence  is  considerable.  The  Japan  Times 
of  Tokyo,  first  published  in  1897,  is  now  under  Japanese 
owners  and  is  written  mainly  by  broad-minded  Japanese 
scholars.  It  generally  gives  the  earliest  reliable  home  news 
and  has  a fine  foreign  service.  From  the  same  office  issues 
the  Daily  Mail,  established  in  1865,  an  afternoon  paper. 

The  Japan  Advertiser  of  Tokyo,  established  in  1905,  is 
a brightly  written,  wide-awake  paper.  The  Yokohama 
Gazette,  started  in  1867,  is  an  evening  paper,  fairly  and 
forcibly  written  and  has  a special  field  in  marine,  travel 
and  commercial  news  befitting  the  foreign  mouthpiece  of 
the  old  trading  port.  The  Japan  Chronicle  of  Kobe,  which 
dates  back  to  1868,  is  the  best  written  English  daily  in  the 
Orient  and  is  a fine  news  medium.  Its  editorial  tone  has 
something  of  the  skillful  ironic  which  characterized  New 
York’s  Evening  Post  in  the  old  Godkin  days  and  of  which 
we  still  see  traditional  flashes. 

The  Chronicle’s  attitude  on  public  questions  has  been 
described  as  “whatever  is  Japanese  is  wrong;  whatever  is 
American  is  suspicious;  whatever  is  English  is  right.’’ 
The  Anglo- Japanese  alliance  gave  it  a hard  lump  in  its 
throat,  and  it  was  decidedly  amusing  during  the  Tsing-tao 
operations  in  China  to  observe  the  visible  pain  with  which 
it  applauded  the  success  of  the  siege.  Still  it  is  all  without 
malice — just  a matter  of  the  temperamental  outfit  of  its 
accomplished  owner  and  editor,  Mr.  Young,  whose  son,  by 
the  way,  a volunteer  officer  in  the  English  service,  has  been 
sending  home  articles  descriptive  of  the  training  and  serv- 
ice of  the  newer  English  armies  at  the  front  in  Europe. 

The  attitude  is  moreover  a solitary  survival  in  Japan  of 
the  older  time  when  the  literary  foreigner  had  some  excuse 
for  putting  on  superior  or  condescending  airs  to  the 


256 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


natives  struggling  with  the  great  problems  of  civilization 
which  they  have  since  so  successfully  mastered  in  their  own 
way.  I may  add  that  the  supercilious  glance  at  things 
Eastern  still  pervades  the  English  papers  printed  in  China. 

The  Kobe  Press,  the  Nagasaki  Press  and  the  Seoul  Press, 
the  latter  an  aspiring  Japanese  undertaking  in  Korea, 
about  fill  out  the  list.  Most  of  the  papers  printed  in 
English  publish  copious  translations  of  the  leading  articles 
of  note  in  the  vernacular  newspapers. 

It  was  in  Osaka,  however,  that  I had  the  privilege  and 
opportunity  to  go  through  the  works  of  a big  Japanese 
daily.  I had  been  pleasantly  received  in  the  Tokyo  office 
of  the  Asalii,  where  I found  in  young  Mr.  Sugimura  a help- 
ful, courteous  personality.  He  was  foreign  editor  and 
when  I wanted  to  get  good  prints  of  some  drawings  in 
his  paper  illustrating  the  funeral  of  the  Empress  Dowager 
for  the  use  of  the  New  York  Sun  he  took  pains  to  see  that 
it  was  done  and  done  promptly,  which  is  the  essence  of 
daily  newspaper  work.  He  had  learned  his  fluent  English 
in  Tokyo. 

What,  I would  like  to  ask,  is  inherent  in  the  newspaper 
business  the  world  over  that  makes  for  office  dinginess? 
Where  does  dust  accumulate  more  quickly  and  thickly  than 
in  an  editor’s  room?  Whose  desk  is  so  untidy?  One  is 
conscious  that  a newspaper  office  gets  a new  coat  of  paint 
at  long  intervals,  but  where  else  does  fresh  paint  take  on 
the  depressing  tints  of  age  with  more  certainty  and 
celerity  ? 

Sometimes  a proprietor  or  “the  company”  indulges 
rashly  in  hard  woods  for  trimmings,  new  desks,  new  branch 
lights.  The  editors  immediately  get  haircuts,  the  as- 
sistants change  their  collars  more  frequently,  the  office  boy 
has  a clean  shirt,  the  doorman  washes  his  face.  A month 
seems  enough  to  wear  off  the  effusively  welcomed  newness 
of  the  surroundings ; a fortnight  is  quite  enough  to  see  all 


JAPANESE  NEWSPAPERS 


257 


that  is  human  in  the  business  throw  off  the  hated  air  of 
spruceness  and  allow  the  old  grime  to  take  possession  with 
an  easy  smile. 

It  is  just  the  same  in  Japan.  Journalism  is  opposed  to 
the  smug.  An  American  newspaperman  gets  the  home 
feeling  at  once  on  visiting  a big  daily  in  Tokyo  or  Osaka. 
The  somewhat  austere  editors  inhabit  the  same  little  dusty 
dens;  the  reporters  go  and  come  and  work  at  ease  without 
the  fine  regard  for  appearances  that  distinguishes  the  bank 
clerk,  for  instance,  in  all  countries,  and  they  regard  all  men 
outside  their  craft  from  court  nobles  and  Cabinet  Ministers 
down  to  hatters  with  the  same  amused  consideration,  the 
same  air  of  good  humoured  superiority  that  just  falls  short 
of  being  obtrusive. 

Journalism  breeds  democracy.  It  treats  of  all  things  and 
all  men  and  it  comes  ultimately  to  deal  with  the  sacrosanct 
among  mankind  or  their  habitat  with  the  same  level  air 
that  a guardian  of  the  temple  exhibits  when  he  brushes 
the  nose  of  the  carven  god  with  a feather  duster.  The 
journalist  is  the  man  behind  the  scenes  and  enjoys  it.  It 
is  all  in  the  way  of  business  and  implies  neither  the  spirit 
purely  ironic  nor  the  coarse  article  of  disrespect.  I found 
the  spirit  in  Tokyo  very  like  the  spirit  in  New  York  or 
London  or  Paris. 

The  offices  of  the  MainicTii  in  Osaka  were  no  exception  to 
the  journalistic  rule.  The  big  presses  lumbering  and 
grinding  away  in  the  grimy  basement,  the  stereotypers 
stripped  to  the  waist  and  steaming  over  the  caldrons  of 
molten  type  metal,  the  pattering  of  the  mould  makers. 
They  did  not  then  have  the  latest  stereotype  machinery. 
The  circulation  department  was  piled  with  papers  coming 
wet  from  the  presses  and  going  abroad  in  heaps  and  bundles 
and  sheets. 

The  city  department  was  a familiar  sight,  save  that  no 
typewriting  machine  has  yet  got,  and  maybe  none  ever  will 


258 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


get,  the  hang  of  the  baffling  ideographs  of  Japanese.  In- 
stead the  reporters,  their  hakamas  off,  their  kimonos 
bunched  up  and  their  arms  bare,  were  painting  at  railroad 
speed  their  characters  in  perpendicular  lines  on  long  strips 
of  paper  and  beginning  at  the  right  hand  of  the  roU. 

They  ran  their  left-hand  fingers  through  their  generally 
short  hair  just  like  Peoria  reporters  pausing  for  a word, 
while  they  dipped  their  brush  in  the  India  ink  just  rubbed 
down  in  water  on  their  right.  Some  of  them,  however,  used 
pencils  and  a few  fountain  pens.  The  makeup  editor  was 
just  as  gruff  and  peremptory  about  his  work  as  any  Ameri- 
can tyrant  of  the  galleys,  “stone”  and  turtles. 

The  courteous  editor  with  the  stately  gestures  who  took 
our  little  party  over  the  premises  explained  the  writing 
hierarchy.  The  editor-in-chief  does  most  of  the  editorial 
writing.  The  political  editor  combines  attention  to  politi- 
cal matters  and  meetings  at  night  wth  doing  the  “make- 
up” in  the  afternoons.  The  foreign  editor  looks  after  cable 
and  foreign  news  and  sometimes  writes  editorials. 

The  domestic  editor  attends  to  Japanese  telegraphic 
news.  The  economic  editor  does  financial  and  commercial 
news.  The  social  editor  is  really  our  city  editor  and 
handles  city  news — police  reports,  meetings.  The  science 
and  art  editor  prepares  the  Sunday  supplement. 

Including  its  branches  at  Kobe  and  Kyoto  the  Mainichi 
has  a staff  of  one  hundred  editors  and  reporters.  It  issues 
ten  to  fourteen  pages  daily,  the  news-stand  price  being  two 
sen — one  cent  of  our  money.  They  use  French  Marinoni 
presses,  of  which  they  complain.  The  daily  staff  make 
their  appearance  about  noon  and  the  bulk  of  the  copy  must 
be  handed  in  by  3.30  p.m.  The  first  edition  (of  next  day’s 
paper)  must  be  ready  by  5.30  p.m.  for  transmission  to 
distant  parts. 

It  was  familiar  ground  everj^fflere  until  you  reached  the 
composing  room.  Here  you  had  a sensation,  and  the 


JAPANESE  NEWSPAPERS 


259 


enormous  difficulty  of  dealing  with  a language  expressed 
visually  in  ideographs  instead  of  in  letters  of  an  alphabet 
flashed  upon  you.  The  training  required  to  differentiate 
in  a second  ten  thousand  different  ideographs  makes  one 
take  off  one’s  hat  to  Oriental  mentality  and  to  Oriental 
patient  persistence,  for  although  the  training  begins  in 
childhood  the  sum  of  knowledge  of  combinations  of  linear 
signs  necessary  to  an  ordinary  compositor  on  a Japanese 
newspaper  seems  enough  to  earn  a university  degree  of 
learned  literate  and  doctor  of  the  high  signs. 

Our  printers  deal  with  an  alphabet  of  twenty-six  letters 
— so  for  capital  letters,  small  capitals  and  plain  letters  the 
compositor  has  in  all  seventy-eight  letter  boxes  in  a 
“ease”  of  type.  Think,  however,  of  the  fact  that  the 
body  type  of  this  paper  (No.  5)  calls  for  9,500 
separate  characters,  of  which  4,000  are  in  common 
use,  the  remainder  being  of  rarer  use.  One  can  under- 
stand, then,  how  difficult  the  task  is  of  “setting  up”  copy 
in  the  vernacular.  Nearly  10,000  different  types  would 
seem  to  make  the  typesetting  machine  inapplicable. 

No  row  after  row  of  linotype  machines  is  therefore  pos- 
sible, and  for  comparison  with  an  American  composing 
room  one  must  go  back  to  the  rows  and  alleys  of  cases 
mounted  on  frames  with  a man  in  front  of  each  case  which 
met  the  eye  in  the  composing  rooms  of  the  American  dailies 
of  twenty  to  twenty-five  years  ago.  But  there  is  a sharp 
difference  in  the  size,  the  extent  of  the  Japanese  eases. 

If  you  glance  at  the  illustration  showing  the  Asahi  com- 
posing room  you  will  note  the  man  standing  in  the  left 
alley.  His  ease  of  No.  5 type  extends  to  the  air  space 
between  it  and  the  next — as  large  as  eight  eases  for  alpha- 
betical tjT)e,  and  this  does  not  contain  half  the  characters 
of  the  font.  In  all  they  employ  on  the  Mainichi  and  AsaJii 
little  short  of  a hundred  compositors  and  boy  assistants. 
The  cases,  about  twenty  feet  long  and  five  feet  high,  are  set 


260 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


up  at  a sloping  angle  with  a four-foot  passageway  between 
the  lines.  The  characters  rest  in  little  compartments  face 
outward. 

It  is  a busy  scene.  In  his  left  hand  the  compositor  holds 
his  wooden  “stick”  and  chants  in  a peculiar  drone  with  the 
absorbed  air  of  a mystic  what  he  is  putting  into  type. 
When  he  comes  to  a character  that  is  stored  elsewhere  he 
grunts  to  a small  boy  the  name  of  the  ideograph  and  the 
boy  bounds  off  for  it,  to  come  skipping  back  an  instant 
later.  To  hear  forty  men  chanting  in  this  drone  as  they 
march  up  and  down  at  a lively  gait  before  the  cases  picking 
up  the  type  with  boys  darting  in  and  out  like  little  demons 
playing  tag  is  to  meet  a new  experience  in  typesetting. 

The  man  nearest  me  was  chanting  in  Japanese:  “He  was 
putting  his  foot  down” — hum,  hum,  hum — “putting  his 
foot  down” — hum,  hum,  hum — “foot  down” — hum,  hum, 
hum.  And  so  on,  all  the  news  of  the  day  set  to  music.  It 
would  have  driven  Ben  Franklin  crazy.  But  it  gives  one 
a glimpse  of  the  Oriental  patience  to  think  of  adapting  type 
to  such  enormous  diversity  of  signs. 

They  use  five  fonts  of  type  for  the  paper. 

No.  1 — For  “extra”  and  large  type  advertising;  it  has 
2,400  characters. 

No.  2 — A large  type  for  headings,  which  are  really  sid- 
ings, has  3,000  characters. 

No.  3 — A large  type  a little  less  in  face  than  No.  2 and 
the  same  number  of  characters. 

No.  4 — A good-sized  type  for  book  work  has  12,000 
characters. 

No.  5 — Body  type,  in  which  the  bulk  of  the  newspaper 
is  set,  9,500  characters,  4,000  in  common  use. 

No.  6 — Smallest  type,  9,020  characters. 

As  the  letter  “e”  is  the  oftenest  called  for  in  English,  so 
the  ideograph  for  “of”  holds  the  highest  record  in 
Japanese.  It  is  pronounced  “no.” 


THE  “ASAHI”  (MOKXIXG  SUX),  TORN  O,  COMrOSIXG  ROOM 


JAPANESE  NEWSPAPERS 


261 


In  a eubby-hole  of  their  own  sat  the  eight  proof-readers, 
who  mark  their  corrections  on  the  proofs  in  red  ink  laid 
on  with  a brush.  They  were  like  other  proof-readers, 
reading  with  the  same  impersonal  calm  and  haughty 
impartiality  of  murders,  advertisements,  sophomorical 
speeches,  grave  editorials,  the  funny  man’s  jokes,  the 
market  price-lists,  far-off  campaigns  and  near-by  hygienic 
crusades. 

It  was  the  makeup  editor,  now  that  his  exacting  duties 
around  the  pages  of  sizzling  type  were  over  for  the  nonce 
and  his  mind  had  settled  down  from  the  minatory  and 
peremptory  heights  of  the  closing  hour  to  the  scented  calm 
of  the  valleys  of  courtliness,  even  geniality,  who  guided  our 
little  party  around  the  office.  He  it  was  who  in  pursuance 
of  my  desire  to  present  to  the  Western  world  a specimen 
of  Japanese  editorial  “copy”  and  a Japanese  corrected 
“first  proof”  procured  them,  and  it  meant  a lot  of  work 
for  young  “devils”  in  collecting  the  sacred  pages  no  longer 
held  sacred,  after  the  way  of  printing  offices  everywhere, 
once  the  written  character  is  turned  into  type  metal. 

And  so  with  many  bows  to  many  busy  people  we  return 
through  humming  rooms  and  throbbing  passages — for  the 
presses  are  grinding  away  on  that  first  edition — to  our 
waiting  rickishas,  and  the  picture  of  it  all  that  persists 
most  is  the  little  concentrated  compositor  tripping  up  and 
down,  “stick”  in  hand  and  chanting  “putting  his  foot 
down” — hum,  hum,  hum — “his  foot  down” — hum,  hum, 
hum — “foot  down,” — hum,  hum,  hum — an  operetta  in 
ideographs. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


SOME  LEADERS  OF  MEN  IN  JAPAN 

Glimpses  of  Cabinet  heads  and  diplomats — Parliamentary  leaders 
and  orators — Okuma,  Terauchi,  Yamagata,  Kato,  Makino, 
Chinda,  Uchida,  Ozaki— Bankers,  captains  of  industry — ^ilen 
of  big  business  and  sudden  uprise — Shibusawa,  Okura,  Haya- 
kawa — Contrasting  types. 

Nowhere  wiU  the  foolish  Western  belief  that  all  Japanese 
and  Chinese  are  alike  meet  a greater  shock  than  among 
their  leading  men.  There  is  to  be  sure  in  the  East  as  in  the 
West  a selective  type  tendency  in  certain  callings.  Many 
a stupid  man  has  read  for  the  bar,  but  lawyers  are  a 
brainy  lot,  angle-minded  and  pragmatical,  it  is  true:  but 
everywhere  the  legal  temperament  is  recognizably  cool  with 
a mental  tendency  to  the  exact.  Inside  of  such  reasonable 
limitations  there  is,  however,  room  for  large  variety,  and  it 
applies  to  the  Far  East  just  as  much  as  to  our  individ- 
ualizing West. 

The  men  of  note  whom  I met  in  Japan  impressed  me  much 
and  variously  as  should  the  sifted  leaders  of  so  remark- 
able a people.  It  would  be  futile  to  attempt  a comparison 
between  them  and  the  leaders  of  men  in  other  nations. 
Such  diplomats  as  Viscount  Kato,  Viscount  Makino,  Baron 
Uchida,  Viscount  Chinda  and  Mr.  Aimaro  Sato  have  all  the 
fine  personality  of  the  most  cultivated  chancellries,  the 
suave  address,  the  long  patience,  the  polite  insistence  and 
all  the  mental  training  for  a most  difficult  game.  Diplo- 
macy is  a calling  apt  to  be  best  filled  by  a bureaucracy, 
and  the  Japanese  system  of  promotion  and  rotation  serves 

2C2 


SOME  LEADERS  OF  MEN  IN  JAPAN 


263 


its  purpose  admirably.  Unlike  the  European  and  American 
systems,  service  in  a consulate  is  no  bar  to  the  higher 
service;  but  in  some  inevitable  way  the  progress  of  the 
unfit  is  arrested,  suggesting  a most  searching  psychologic 
study  of  each  individual  by  his  superiors.  Of  course  there 
are  sharp  differences  between  the  men.  Hence  the  choice 
of  a man  suitable  to  a certain  position  is  ahvays  within 
possibilities. 

It  is  the  boast  of  the  Japanese  that  in  their  great  depart- 
ments of  state,  policies  and  practices  properly  decided  on 
at  the  start  are  carried  unaltered  through  successive  ad- 
ministrations. This  of  necessity  is  only  partially  true, 
since,  as  in  the  discharge  of  the  Okuma  ministry,  much  of 
the  imperial  reason  for  the  ehange  lay  in  dissatisfaction 
with  its  conduct  of  the  foreign  policy,  notably  as  regards 
the  attitude  to  China.  Some  time  must  doubtless  elapse 
before  the  true  history  of  the  episode  can  be  laid  bare.  It 
was  widely  and  unwarrantably  feared  that  the  incoming  of 
Marquis  Terauchi  with  his  militaristic  history  behind  him 
would  be  marked  by  a more  rigid,  strong-armed,  masterful 
policy  in  Chinese  relations.  The  opposite  was  soon  seen  to 
be  the  case.  It  resolved  itself  into  a policy  placatory  to 
Chinese  susceptibilities,  advancing  no  new  claims,  but 
making  clear  the  beneficial  effects  to  both  countries  of  the 
features  of  the  treaty  made  with  Yuan  shih  Kai,  features 
so  utterly  misinterpreted  to  the  world  by  the  journalistic 
agents  of  Yuan.  None  but  the  blind  could  have  failed  to 
see  that  Yuan  aimed  from  the  beginning  of  his  presidency 
to  make  himself  Emperor  of  China  in  succession  to  the 
deposed  Manchus.  He  desired  a strong  China,  of  course, 
but  the  cloven  foot  of  selfish  ambition,  first  seen  in  his 
compromise  with  reaction  in  the  matter  of  modern  educa- 
tion, next  in  his  suppression  of  the  Parliament,  in  his 
ridiculously  absolutist  provisional  constitution  buttressed 
upon  the  lamentable  essay  of  Dr.  Goodenow  claiming  that 


264 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


China  was  not  fit  for  self-government.  His  journalistic 
agents  could  blink  at  all  these  things,  but  were  ready  at  all 
times  to  state  that  Yuan’s  view  of  any  policy  was  the 
view  of  China,  and  right  and  just  beside.  Yuan’s  over- 
throw and  death  made  a new  situation.  A Chinese 
Republic  was  not  only  possible  but  inevitable.  Here,  then, 
was  something  with  which  Japan  could  deal  in  reasonable 
terms  and  with  some  assurance  of  permanency.  The  great 
prize  of  Chinese  trade  might  be  sought  with  vigour  if  only 
the  irritants  were  removed,  and  something  like  an  era  of 
good  feeling  inaugurated.  That  and  not  a militarist 
policy  was  what  the  Terauchi  ministry  was  designed  to 
accomplish. 

At  any  rate  the  personalities  of  Marquis  Terauchi  and 
Marquis  Okuma  were  the  most  interesting  to  me  of  all  I 
met  in  Japan.  If  I could  add  Prince  Yamagata  to  the 
roster  it  would  show  forth  the  three  most  vital  Japanese 
of  our  day.  But  the  Prince  Field  Marshal  is  in  his 
eightieth  year  and  feeble,  seldom  stirs  abroad,  rarely 
receives  visitors  except  of  his  own  choosing,  a solemn  man, 
the  type  of  the  Meiji  statesman,  almost  the  last  of  the 
Meiji  Genro.  I saw  him  once  in  New  York  many  years 
ago,  and  then  the  lank  military  figure,  the  austere  rather 
than  haughty  expression  impressed  me.  My  interest  in 
him  was  his  then  recent  victories  over  China.  He  looked 
every  inch  the  soldier.  He  stands  now  on  the  borders  of 
the  past.  Not  so  would  it  seem  with  Shigenobu  Okuma 
who  was  born  in  the  same  year  as  Yamagata  and  who 
defies  the  advance  of  years  with  brave  demeanour.  He 
will  live  until  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  he  says,  and 
there' is  as  much  of  the  immortal  about  him  as  is  usually 
given  to  man.  I saw  him  many  times  in  “Western”  cos- 
tume, but  he  received  me  at  his  luxurious  home  in  Tokyo 
in  kimono.  One  knew  that  one  of  the  stateman’s  legs  had 
been  blown  off  by  a would-be  assassin  twenty  years  before. 


SOME  LEADERS  OF  MEN  IN  JAPAN  265 


The  mechanical  substitute  for  the  severed  limb  gave  a 
certain  stiffness  to  his  gait  (his  leg  evidently  did  not  bend 
at  the  knee)  but  holding  his  body  upright  with  the  chest 
well  raised  and  the  head  erect  there  was  something  of  the 
stateliness  in  his  walk  that  we  associate  with  the  idea  of 
a senator  of  ancient  Rome,  to  which  the  bared  forearms 
added  materially.  Our  talk  or  rather  the  address  he 
delivered  with  an  easy  flow  of  punctuated  speech  was  a 
shining  thing,  directed  to  the  consciousness  of  an  American. 
What  I saw  in  the  pauses  for  interpretation  was  a fluent, 
well-read,  bald-headed  man  with  an  inexhaustible  fund  of 
knowledge,  more  or  less  inexact  in  its  details,  watching  the 
effect  upon  me  out  of  the  small  intensely  black  eyes  that 
gleamed  from  the  tight-drawn  parchment  of  his  face.  This 
as  the  courteous  interpreter  tried  vainly  to  tell  in  a short 
breathing  space  what  the  Prime  Minister  had  rattled  off  in 
five  or  ten  minutes.  It  sounded  utterly  frank  and  was 
certainly  brilliantly  put,  yet  the  impression,  simple  and 
informal  as  it  all  was — seated  at  ease  in  his  comfortable 
salon — seemed  a bit  theatric.  One  felt  the  egoism  of  the 
professor  as  well  as  the  insight  of  the  liberal  statesman  and 
the  voice  of  long  authority. 

With  the  then  Count  Terauehi,  a month  later  at  Seoul, 
it  was  entirely  different.  The  Governor-General  of  Korea 
wore  his  major-general’s  uniform,  sat  at  his  ease,  and 
chatted  affably  in  the  palace  ante-room,  secretaries  and 
army  officers  about  him.  The  sense  of  power  definable  in 
the  firm  set  of  his  head  upon  a thick  neck,  in  the  habitual 
clenching  of  the  lips,  and  the  appraising  glance  of  his  full 
eyes  did  not  oppress  one  as  haply  it  might  if  an  official 
shortcoming  had  been  in  question.  At  first  our  talk  was 
interpreted  by  one  of  his  aides,  and  as  he  listened  to  the 
Japanese  version  of  what  I had  said  in  English,  his  heavy 
eyelids  closed  over  his  prominent  eyes  with  a peculiar 
dreaming  expression  qualified  somewhat  by  an  occasional 


266 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


smile  faintly  lifting  the  corners  of  his  mouth.  His  answers 
came  easily  and  directly.  Later  on,  when  I discovered  that 
he  spoke  French  fluentlj'  our  conversation  was  frank  and 
animated.  You  had  heard  he  was  a martinet.  You  felt  a 
clear  sincerity  and  a disposition  to  answer  questions  freely 
within  the  limits  of  good  taste.  Indubitably  a strong  man 
had  taken  a heavy  uphill  task  with  confidence  begotten  of 
intense  application,  balanced  judgment,  the  long  experience 
of  finding  the  proper  man  for  every  job  in  hand  and  the 
magisterial  habit  of  seeing  that  he  did  it.  Much  had  been 
accomplished  in  his  few  years  of  upbuilding  the  Korean 
peninsula  materially  and  making  the  land  livable  for  the 
Koreans  themselves,  apart  altogether  from  his  work  in 
binding  the  new  possessions  to  Japan.  He  had  been  a good 
soldier  and  a great  War  Minister  but  never  a fighter  for 
the  sake  of  fighting,  yet  it  was  on  his  long  and  remote  army 
service  rather  than  on  his  recent  constructive,  pacificatory 
work  in  Korea  that  he  was  misjudged  even  in  Japan  when 
selected  for  the  Premiership  by  the  genro. 

In  the  realm  of  government  and  diplomacy  these  figures 
notable  to  me  are  worth  examining.  The  first,  Baron 
Takaaki  Kato,  Foreign  Minister  then  as  well  as  leader  of 
the  rising  Doshikai  party  which  on  the  dissolution  of  the 
Parliament  that  followed,  emerged  from  the  elections  with 
a majority  in  the  Lower  House,  wresting  that  position  from 
the  Seiyukai  which  had  suffered  from  the  discredit  of  the 
naval  scandals  because  of  which  the  Yamomoto  ministry 
had  been  hurled  from  powder.  The  retirement  of  Count 
Okuma  had  become  inevitable.  His  age  for  one  thing 
pointed  in  that  direction,  but  there  was  another  cause 
which  he  had  ignored — the  scandal  of  the  bribery  of 
members  of  the  Lower  House  to  secure  the  passage  of  the 
famous  two-division  addition  to  the  army,  avowedly  for 
the  purpose  of  guarding  Korea,  a measure  fatal  to 
ministries  from  the  date  of  its  introduction  some  six  years 


SOME  LEADERS  OF  MEN  IN  JAPAN  267 


ago.  In  this  bribery  a member  of  the  Cabinet  had  been 
involved,  and  when  found  guilty  upon  trial  had  been  “let 
down”  without  serving  a prison  term  on  a ground  often 
used  in  such  cases  in  Japan,  namely,  that  his  degradation 
from  a lofty  position  was  punishment  sufficient.  In  view 
of  the  approaching  coronation  of  Emperor  Yoshihito, 
wherein,  as  the  court  ritual  demands,  the  Premier  plays 
such  a “star”  part.  Count  Okuma  somewhat  humanly 
shrank  from  harkening  to  the  calls  (outside  his  own  sup- 
porters) for  his  resignation.  The  privileges  held  by  all 
members  of  Parliament  in  the  same  great  functions  at 
Kyoto  operated  too  in  the  same  direction,  and  there  was  a 
tacit  truce  for  the  time.  But  Baron  Kato  was  not  idle ; 
using  all  his  arts  as  a leader,  he  brought  about  a consoli- 
dation of  the  pro-Okuma  parties  and  groups  into  a new 
party  called  the  Kensekai,  of  which  he  was  elected  leader. 
It  was  then  agreed  that  at  a convenient  moment.  Count, 
now  Marquis,  Okuma  should  retire,  handing  over  the 
Cabinet  to  Baron,  now  Viscount,  Kato.  As  we  have  seen, 
however,  Kato’s  conduct  of  the  relations  with  China  had 
displeased  the  imperial  authorities  and  the  genro,  and 
Okuma ’s  direct  suggestion  to  the  Emperor — a most  unusual 
proceeding,  it  appears,  in  Japan — was  denied  with  em- 
phasis, and  Terauchi  chosen  instead.  AYithout  examining 
further  into  these  relations,  the  events  disclose  Viscount 
Kato  as  a strong  man  obviously  to  be  reckoned  with.  One 
catches  something  of  this  in  his  face.  The  nose  large  for  a 
Japanese,  the  strong  chin,  the  fixed,  thoughtful  gaze  behind 
his  glasses,  the  high  forehead,  the  large  ears,  the  deliberate, 
pondered  speech  and  the  occasional  gesture  with  strong- 
knuckled  hands  do  give  a sense  of  power,  and  an  ability 
to  concentrate  long  and  fruitfully  on  what  he  has  on  hand. 
He  has  an  analjdic  turn  of  mind  too.  His  English,  due  to 
his  years  in  diplomatic  posts  abroad  particularly  as  Min- 
ister to  England,  is  cultivated  without  being  pedantic.  He 


268 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


showed  a nice  regard  for  American  susceptibilities  while  in 
the  Foreign  Office.  His  attack  on  the  Terauehi  ministry 
was  formidable : in  view  of  his  humiliation  by  the  genro  it 
was  pardonable.  He  will  be  loudly  heard  from. 

A very  different  personality  is  that  of  Mr.  Yukio  Ozaki, 
Minister  of  Justice  in  the  Okuma  Cabinet — long  mayor  of 
Tokyo,  a lawyer,  a journalist,  perhaps  the  most  fiery  and 
forcible  orator  and  debater  in  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, the  leader  of  a small  but  select  parliamentary  party 
— the  Chusekai  (the  Golden  Mean) — but  above  all  an 
idealist  in  polities.  In  pursuit  of  this,  he  is  something  of 
a Spartan  in  the  simplicity  of  his  home  life,  and  in  private 
a sympathetic  and  charming  man,  expressing  the  joy  of 
living  in  a bland  view  of  the  world  which  he  would  fain 
see  a better  place  for  everybody,  albeit  in  the  fury  of  his 
oratory  no  sojourn  could  be  too  hot  for  those  he  denounces 
so  roundly.  Dreading  this,  it  is  related  that  when  at  the 
first  sitting  of  the  House  under  the  Terauehi  ministry 
Viscount  Kato  had  introduced  his  motion  equivalent  to  the 
English  “want  of  confidence,”  the  Premier  tempestuously 
hurried  down  the  rescript  of  a dissolution  of  the  Parlia- 
ment lest  Ozaki  should  take  the  floor  and  flay  alive  every- 
body who  upheld  the  break  with  “constitutionalism.”  It 
was  the  kind  of  tribute  which  an  orator  in  love  with  his 
own  comminatory  verbal  powers  would  not  like,  however 
long  he  might  chuckle  over  it  in  private.  He  is  of  middle 
height  with  a good  broad  forehead,  a pair  of  large  and 
luminous  eyes,  a sedate  carriage  but  a fine  boyish  smile. 
Lunching  with  him  in  his  little  seaside  cottage  after  a 
delightful  walk  along  the  ocean  beach  at  Kamakura,  shared 
with  his  altogether  charming  Eurasian  wife,  whose  fairy 
tales  and  hero  tales  of  Japan  have  given  her  an  enviable 
literary  standing  in  the  East,  one  saw  the  gentle  side  of 
this  stormy  petrel  of  Japanese  polities.  There  were  then 
no  clouds  on  the  political  horizon  and  all  was  soothing,  and 


MARQUIS  TERAUCHI.  PRIME  MINISTER.  1917 


SOME  LEADERS  OP  MEN  IN  JAPAN  269 


the  talk  was  of  books  and  pictures  and  things  not  at  all 
concerned  about  the  storms  so  soon  to  break  upon  the  world 
— a little  moment  of  ease  and  joy  very  pleasant  to  recall. 

And  apropos  of  mayors  of  Tokyo,  one  should  kindly 
recall  Baron  Yoshiro  Sakatani  who  flitted  recently  across 
the  United  States  on  his  way  home  from  the  Entente  Allies 
economic  conference.  I had  met  him  variously  away  from 
his  mayoral  chair  but  a chat  with  him  in  his  office  revealed 
a man  with  a capacity  for  statistics  little  short  of  amazing. 
I knew  a wicked  man  once  who  had  invented  a method  of 
scaring  off  the  children  of  friends  and  neighbours.  He 
would  raise  a severe  forefinger  and  say  sharply:  “Seven 
times  nine!”  It  was  most  effective.  I asked  the  Mayor  a 
question  about  the  waterworks  of  Tokyo,  and  at  once  all 
the  founts  of  Japan  seemed  to  be  spraying  me,  flooding 
me  with  figures.  As  soon  as  he  paused  to  take  breath,  I 
rose  and  fled  precipitately.  Away  from  his  life-passion  for 
figures  he  is  an  amiable  man.  He  has  been  everything 
official  possible  in  connection  with  economics  up  to  full 
Minister.  He  married  a daughter  of  Baron  Shibusawa, 
holds  stately  residence  on  the  outskirts  of  Tokyo,  where  he 
dotes  upon  his  gardens  and  indulges  his  passion  for  enum- 
eration in  the  royal  game  of  Go.  Like  Mr.  Ozaki,  he  is  not 
done  yet. 

Typical  of  the  great  business  men  and  bankers  were  five 
whom  I met  on  various  occasions.  The  first  was  Mr. 
Soichiro  Asano  and  naturally  so,  for  he  is  president  as  well 
as  principal  owner  of  the  Toyo  Risen  Kaisha  on  whose  fine 
steamer,  Chiyo  Maru,  I had  travelled  from  San  Francisco. 
Independently  of  any  introductions  I would  probably  as  a 
passenger  on  his  line  have  received  “first  aid”  from  him, 
since  it  is  his  amiable  and  astounding  habit  to  give  a grand 
reception  at  his  great  palace  of  a house  in  the  Shiba  ward 
of  Tokyo  to  all  arriving  salon  passengers.  Fancy  the 
Cunards  at  that  sort  of  game  of  courtesy!  And  there  he 


270 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


is  in  the  guise  of  Japanese  gentleman  to  greet  them,  see 
them  upstairs  and  downstairs  and  through  spacious  rooms 
and  enormous  salons  all  decorated  with  bronze  Buddhas 
of  many  ages,  affrighting  devas,  great  tapestries,  ancient 
wall  pictures,  lacquer-work,  porcelains,  cloisonne,  ivory 
carvings  and  Chinese  carved  teak  furniture.  And  then  he 
teas  them  and  cakes  them,  and  gives  them  T.Y.K.  fans, 
smiling  all  over  with  the  pleasure  it  gives  him.  It  may  be 
advertising,  as  some  stuffed  ingrates  will  assert,  but  it  is 
as  graceful  in  act  as  it  is  a thing  of  gladness  for  him.  He 
is  more  European  of  face  than  Nipponese,  long,  straight 
grey  hair,  large  eyes  and  strong  black  eyebrows  in  delicate 
upward  curves — a handsome  face,  and  he  made  all  his 
fortune  with  his  own  two  hands  and  his  quick  brain,  for 
he  came  up  from  Toyama  a poor  boy,  the  typical  Oriental 
Dick  Whittington.  And  during  the  European  war,  what 
with  the  American  seamen’s  law  turning  the  Pacific  into  a 
Japanese  lake  and  the  rise  in  freight  he  has  managed  to 
triple  his  millions.  He  likes  Americans;  his  eldest  son 
speaks  English  like — a Californian. 

Another  of  the  self-made  men  of  the  land  of  Nippon, 
where  wealth  fifty  years  ago  was  almost  wholly  restricted 
to  nobles  born  to  riches  and  splendour,  is  Baron  Kihachiro 
Okura.  Of  his  early  years  of  poverty  and  struggle  the 
most  fantastic  stories  are  told,  but  a genius  for  trade, 
which  means  a quick  perception  of  opportunities  and  a 
promptness  in  grasping  them,  brought  him  forward  in  for- 
tune with  swift  strides,  extending  his  business  to  London 
as  long  ago  as  1872  and  to  America  in  1880,  adopting  the 
latest  methods  in  whatever  he  touched.  Then  he  founded 
and  endowed  a commercial  school  in  Tokyo,  following  it 
with  similar  schools  in  Osaka  and  Seoul  and  lately  donating 
a round  million  yen  to  the  poor.  It  was,  however,  in  a 
wholly  different  relation  I met  him,  first  at  a sumptuous 
repast  and  next  day  in  his  veritable  museum  in  the 


SOME  LEADERS  OF  MEN  IN  JAPAN  271 


Akasaka  ward  on  the  summit  of  the  highest  hill  in  Tokyo, 
overlooking  the  city  on  all  sides  and  with  a fine  outlook 
over  the  sea  from  somO  points.  I have  told  of  this  else- 
where. He  is  now  in  his  eightieth  year  and  was  then  in  his 
seventy-eighth,  a little,  shrivelled  and  bent  old  man  of 
small,  round  face  with  an  anxious  smile. 

Baron  Shibusawa,  whom  they  call  the  Rockefeller  of 
Japan,  is  another  of  their  great  bankers  and  traders  now 
nearing  his  four  score  years.  He  came  of  more  promising 
beginnings  than  Okura : went  to  Europe  as  a companion 
of  the  Tokugawa  princes  as  long  ago  as  1868  and  held  a 
high  office  in  the  treasury  for  four  years  under  the  new 
imperial  government.  He  left  the  service  in  a huff  with 
a Vice  Minister,  Inouye,  and  has  forsworn  the  public 
service  since.  The  roster  of  his  banking  and  business  con- 
nections would  be  like  the  divine  Homer’s  Greek  shipping 
list,  but  they  cover  every  large  kind  of  enterprise  in  Japan. 
He  has  twice  retired,  but  each  time  the  call  proved  too 
great  for  any  love  of  ease  he  might  develop.  I met  him 
very  often  and  always  found  him  the  soul  of  frank- 
ness, fairness  and  exact  information.  He  speaks  a little, 
reminiscent  French,  and  the  trouble  he  takes  for  anybody 
who  seeks  his  advice  is  proverbial.  He  is  not  a mere 
money-grubber.  He  is  devoted  to  the  Chinese  classics,  is 
a profound  appreciator  of  Confucius,  the  man  as  well  as 
the  teacher,  and  writes  charming  little  poems,  a few  of 
which  to  American  friends  of  Japan  I had  the  opportunity 
to  put  into  English.  He  is  also  what  is  highly  esteemed 
in  Japan,  a great  calligraphist,  and  his  autographs,  each 
conveying  a moral  thought,  are  treasured  by  thousands — an 
amiable  weakness.  Like  Okura  he  is  a little  man,  with  a 
round  face  but  looks  fifteen  years  younger.  Once  I did 
him  an  inadvertent  favour.  At  a Tokyo  dinner  of  some 
twenty  covers  in  Japanese  style,  I was  somehow  a guest  of 
honour.  It  was  a roastingly  hot  evening.  Through  a 


272 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


couple  of  courses  I persisted  in  wearing  my  “smoking”  or 
Tuxedo  buttoned  over  a dress  shirt.  All  the  Japanese  wore 
heavy  hakamas  over  their  kimonos.  Everybody  perspired 
in  streams  and  all  mopped  their  foreheads  with  great 
bandanas.  I could  stand  it  no  longer.  They  will  pardon 
a foreigner,  I thought,  and  rising  from  my  cushions,  I made 
three  bows.  The  company  looked  as  if  they  thought  I was 
going  to  address  them.  They  said  hush  in  Japanese  to  each 
other.  The  geishas  sat  back  on  their  heels  and  stared. 
Then  I took  off  my  coat.  A howl  of  joy  and  gratitude 
greeted  the  gesture.  In  an  instant  every  hakama  w^as  off: 
arms  were  bared  to  the  shoulder,  and  Baron  Shibusawa 
smiling  all  over  asked  a friend  to  tell  me  that  I had  saved 
his  life.  One  thing  is  certain  the  men  of  the  Shibusawa 
stamp,  the  best  of  the  Japanese,  are  to  a man  the  friends 
of  America  through  and  through. 

Viscount  Yataro  Mishima,  of  the  House  of  Peers  and 
President  of  the  Bank  of  Japan  is  one  of  a younger  gener- 
ation of  financial  leaders  of  the  Empire  distinctly  worth 
the  pleasure  of  knowing.  He  is  about  fifty.  Educated  in 
America,  broad  of  view  and  informed  up  to  date  of  the 
financial  movements  of  the  world,  his  whole  personality, 
stout-bodied  and  full-faced,  bland  and  at  the  same  time 
authoritative,  gives  a sense  of  high  responsibilities  resting 
on  broad  shoulders. 

No  glance  over  the  financial  props  of  the  Japanese  social 
structure  would  be  at  all  sufficing  that  did  not  include  the 
Mitsui  family.  At  the  head  of  vast  private  banking  in- 
terests, they  pervade  all  the  great  undertakings  of  the 
Empire  in  shipping,  steel,  mining,  commerce  and  a multi- 
plicity of  manufactures.  Their  collective  wealth  must  be 
very  great.  Their  unique  distinction  is  that  they  have 
been  bankers  for  a century  and  a half,  enjoying  the  favour 
— and  the  custom — of  the  shoguns.  They  are  Japan’s 
Rothschilds.  Baron  Hachiroemon  Mitsui,  the  head  of  the 


SOME  LEADERS  OF  MEN  IN  JAPAN  273 


family,  given  his  title  twenty  years  ago  and  now  a man  of 
sixty  though  looking  scarcely  fifty,  was  an  interesting  man 
to  meet.  It  was  in  his  wonderful  garden-surrounded 
mansion  of  a pleasant  afternoon  that  he  gave  me  the 
opportunity  to  study  him.  A mild-faced,  dreamy-eyed 
man  he  was  with  a slim  black  moustache  and  regular 
features,  the  nose  faintly  Jewish  in  type,  possessing  a quiet 
refinement  of  manner  and  a gentle  address  and  wearing  a 
morning  coat  of  black.  He  speaks  little  English  but  under- 
stands a good  deal.  One  becomes  aware  of  an  astuteness 
always  gloved  and  groomed  underlying  his  slight  aloofness. 
A slow,  comprehending  glance  of  the  full  brown  eyes  and 
a shade  of  the  irony  of  the  man  much  flattered  and  whom 
so  many  would  exploit  are  also  signs  of  him — the  man  rich 
by  long  heritage  exercising  suavely  the  steady  pressure  of 
the  family  rules  for  growing  riches  amid  a world  that 
would  like  a share  in  the  golden  outcome.  There  was 
nothing  of  the  business  man  that  we  meet  in  shop  or  mart, 
but  do  not  dream  that  he  is  not  in  business.  He  was  tire- 
less in  entertaining  us,  furnishing  as  much  to  consider 
carefully  in  himself  as  the  marvels  of  his  home  of  many 
rooms  and  many  gardens.  His  philanthropies  are  princely. 
His  elder  brother,  Baron  Hachirojiro  Mitsui,  taller,  grey- 
haired, grey-moustached,  pallid  with  ruby-tinted  nose,  and 
a nervous  manner,  also  a factor  in  the  Mitsui  interests  and 
met  elsewhere,  bore  yet  some  likeness  to  his  brother  as  if 
to  emphasize  the  difference. 

Allied  to  the  Mitsui  family  in  the  banking  relation  was 
one  very  potent  figure  I met — Mr.  S.  Hayakawa,  manager  of 
the  banking  department  of  the  Mitsui  Company.  He  was 
one  of  the  earlier  of  the  nouveaux  riches,  now  so  numer- 
ous that  they  have  found  a nickname  for  them  correspond- 
ing to  that  of  our  bonanza  kings  of  the  seventies  and 
eighties.  This  forcible,  self-made,  fore-handed  man  of 
affairs,  betokened  level-headed  energy,  taking  firm  hold  of 


274 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


the  conservative  Mitsui  millions  and  making  them  drive 
new  engines  for  propagating  industry  and  enterprise  and 
so  breeding  new  millions  where  they  had  only  been  the 
culture  ground  of  meagre  thousands — a phenomenon  of  our 
civilization  well  known  to  the  United  States,  but  interesting 
as  a fresh  fruit  of  Japan’s  old  soil.  He  was  the  earliest 
promoter  of  the  idea  that  American  and  Japanese  enter- 
prise might  be  yoked  in  China.  Stout-bodied,  a man  of 
strong  appetites,  with  a broad,  full  face  and  a hea^y  tread, 
he  brushed  ahead  with  something  of  a nimble  like  a great 
machine.  His  sources  of  personal  gain  were  many:  his 
salary  was  said  to  be  one  hundred  thousand  yen,  the  largest 
in  Japan.  And  he  had  reached  out  for  all  the  pomp  and 
circumstance  that  go  ivith  wealth.  His  Tokyo  home  is  a 
fairy  tale.  Buying  a large  slice  of  land  (about  the  size 
of  a city  block)  in  the  heart  of  Tokyo  cumbered  with  old 
houses,  stables,  what  not,  he  developed  with  the  aid  of 
architects,  art-gardeners,  builders  and  electricians  a plan 
for  a great  residence  surrounded  by  a great  garden.  “Did 
I have  a central  idea?”  he  said.  “Yes,  I did.  I had 
bought  the  great  wall  pictures  of  the  artist,  Togan,  who 
flourished  two  hundred  years  ago,  and  I built  the  house  to 
hold  them.  ’ ’ The  fairy  story  lay  in  the  fact  that  his  votive 
idea  had  been  formed  but  flve  years  before.  And  as  I 
entered  it  at  nightfall,  the  illuminated  house  and  gardens 
twinkling  with  stars  of  light  from  the  stone  lanterns  amid 
the  greenery  and  backed  by  a hillock  crowned  with  lofty 
forest  trees,  might  have  been  far  out  in  the  country  and 
had  all  the  look  of  an  estate  a century  old.  Wliat  it  cost? 
The  miracle,  the  fairy  tale,  lay  in  its  being  done  at  all. 
And  the  Togan  pictures  did  cover  wall  after  wall  with  that 
peak  and  slope  and  valley  and  waterfall  scenery  which  we 
take  to  be  a bad  dream,  an  artistic  nightmare  of  volcanic 
lands  until  one  has  seen  the  real  thing  looking  out  of  a 
car  window  as  your  express  train  darts  through  the  moun- 


SOME  LEADERS  OF  MEN  IN  JAPAN 


275 


tain  lands  of  Japan.  In  the  pictures  they  are  “arranged” : 
that  is  all.  It  was  all  not  to  be  classed  as  the  mania  for 
grandeur,  but  a middle-age  dream  come  true.  The  banker 
had  called  the  notabilities  of  Tokyo  to  his  board  which  for 
viands  and  service  might  have  been  that  of  the  Cafe  Riche 
or  Delmonico ’s.  It  was  not  merely  that  he  had  improvised 
a palace  and  an  outdoor  paradise,  with  the  guests  of  an 
Emperor  to  entertain  a foreigner,  but  that  he  had  im- 
provised himself. 

There  were  four  other  individualities  whom  I encoun- 
tered at  various  turns  of  my  pilgrimage  who  deserve 
mention  as  salient  types.  The  most  outstanding  was 
Viscount  Kentaro  Kaneko,  a brilliant,  nay  scintillating 
little  man  with  piercing  black  eyes,  of  perfect  English  and 
a born  mental  adroitness.  To  this  a Harvard  education 
and  a residence  abroad  had  added  much.  He  had  held 
high  office  and  though  of  an  old  samurai  family  bore  him- 
self with  democratic  cordiality  and  a sense  of  humour  be- 
yond most  Japanese.  With  much  of  his  quality  but  of 
entirely  different  type  was  Dr.  Soyeda,  a man  of  bril- 
liant parts  and  refined  literary  tastes.  He  had  not  been 
successful  as  a banker,  but  made  a vigoi’ous  head  of  the 
government  railways.  Any  one  would  welcome  his  cour- 
tesy and  any  American  would  rejoice  to  find  in  him  as  in 
Viscount  Kaneko  so  thoroughgoing  a friend  of  America. 

Then  there  was  Buyei  Nakano,  the  president  of  the 
Tokyo  Chamber  of  Commerce,  friend  ambulant  of  foreign 
visitors,  and  holding  the  keys  of  a score  of  means  for  pro- 
moting the  public  good.  As  is  sometimes  the  case  with  the 
Japanese  who  are  generally  almost  white  of  skin,  though 
we  call  them  broAvn,  Buyei  is  dark-skinned,  full-eyed,  full- 
faced  and  on  the  whole  not  a beauty.  But  for  kindliness 
of  nature,  sweetness  of  smile,  readiness  to  serve,  breadth 
and  depth  of  information,  his  better  is  not  to  be  found  any- 
where. I came  within  reach  of  his  good  offices  simply 

0 


276 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


because  he  opened  his  eyes  and  saw  me.  Ye  who  would 
know  aught  of  the  capital  of  the  Empire,  the  whole  Empire 
for  what  I can  tell,  call  upon  Buyei  Nakano,  and  he  will 
respond.  He  has  rescued  from  the  roundabout  and  put 
upon  the  straight  road  of  affairs — big  and  little — scores 
and  scores  of  foreigners  wanting  to  do  business  in  Japan, 
many  of  whom  had  been  laboriously  set  upon  the  wrong 
road  by  the  inexpert  and  the  class  pretentious  of  knowledge 
without  possessing  it — a large  class  in  this  world  of  ours. 

Now  Dr.  Inazo  Nitobe  is  not  at  all  of  that  type.  He  holds 
himself  aloof.  He  is  distinguished  in  bearing,  gentle  of 
manner,  the  scholar  and  gentleman.  As  exchange  pro- 
fessor many  Americans  know  him,  his  clear,  learned  Eng- 
lish, his  masterly  expositions  of  his  country’s  history  and 
ideals,  but  to  meet  him  in  native  dress  under  his  own  plum 
trees  in  his  Japanese- American  home  in  Tokyo,  one  gets 
closer  to  a nature  rich  in  kindliness  and  steeped  in  a vast 
and  varied  knowledge,  but  plainly  undesirous  of  the 
scramble  for  place  and  honours  a little  too  common  in 
Japan.  He  has  an  American  wife  whose  care  of  her  hus- 
band, her  home  and  her  garden  blossoms  is  as  Japanese 
as  can  be — a little  idolatrous,  maybe,  doubtless  very  com- 
forting, however. 

The  handsomest  Japanese  man  that  I met  was  one  of  the 
most  learned,  to  wit.  Dr.  Kenjiro  Yamagawa,  president  of 
the  Imperial  University  of  Tokyo.  At  a festive  gathering 
of  distinguished  men  his  face  attracted  me  for  its  fine  lines 
and  delicate  modelling.  His  hair  was  silvering,  more’s  the 
pity,  but  it  added  to  the  distinction  of  his  face.  The  gentle 
expressed  itself  in  his  whole  carriage  and  demeanour,  and 
informed  his  conduct  as  the  inevitable  expression  of  his 
consciousness,  and  yet  it  was  he,  I learned  later,  who  at  a 
critical  time  came  fierily  forward  in  defence  of  a professor 
who  had  transgressed  government  orders,  because  he  be- 
lieved the  professor  to  be  right  and  the  government  wrong. 


1.  MARQUIS  OKUMA,  FORMER  PRIME  MIXISTER 

2.  MR.  YUKIO  OZAKI,  LEADER  OF  THE  CHUSEKAI 

3.  VISCOUNT  KATO,  LEADER  OF  THE  KENSETvAI 

4.  MR.  T.  TAKETORNI,  A LE-ADER  OF  THE  KENSEKAI 

5.  MR.  K.  HARA,  LEADER  OF  THE  SEIYUKAI 


1.  DR.  JUICHI  SOYEP\ 

2.  ADMIRAL  S.  URIU 

3.  MR.  BUYEI  NAKANO,  PRESIDENT  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE,  TOKYO 

4.  VISCOUNT  KENTARO  KANEKO 


SOME  LEADERS  OF  MEN  IN  JAPAN  277 


In  Japan  that  means  tremendous  moral  courage.  And  he 
carried  his  point.  I spent  a delightful  mornftig  with  Dr. 
Yamagawa  afterward  at  the  university  and  with  him  met 
Dr.  Omori,  Japan’s  great  seismologist — a wizard  of  the 
physical  underworld. 

I met  many  generals  and  admirals  expressing  concretely 
the  militant  vigour  of  their  people.  If  I may  say  so,  the 
long  applied  pressure  of  iron  discipline  seemed  to  have 
made  a type  of  almost  uniform  efficiency,  a bit  repressive 
of  individual  salieney.  This,  as  one  must  know,  is  a surface 
seeming  only.  The  story  of  their  three  modern  wars  proves 
it  to  be  so,  but  as  I was  vastly  more  interested  in  other  than 
war  questions,  I was  content  to  let  that  spectacular  matter 
go  by.  I did  not  see  or  even  seek  to  see  the  great  Admiral 
Togo. 

Deeply  interested  I was  in  the  fighting  personalities  on 
the  industrial  side.  On  that  side  the  battle  for  progress, 
for  mastery,  knows  no  halt,  no  truce,  while  the  soldier 
appears  to  be  merely  an  interesting  ornament  nineteen- 
twentieths  of  the  time,  no  matter  how  hard  he  works  on  the 
drill-ground  or  in  the  war  college. 

The  most  upstanding,  all-round  industrial  leader  that  I 
met  was,  strangely  enough,  not  bred  to  labour,  although 
expressing  in  his  sturdy  person,  clear  eye,  quick,  cheerful 
perception  and  mental  bent,  the  best  type  of  the  workman. 
This  is  Kojiro  Matsukata,  third  son  of  the  Marquis  Matsu- 
kata,  one  of  the  few  survivors  of  Genro  or  Elder  States- 
man. Kojiro  is  now  fifty -two  and  for  over  twenty  years 
has  had  charge  of  the  great  Kawasaki  shipbuilding  plant 
at  Kobe,  where  steel  ocean-going  steamers  and  even  dread- 
naughts  are  now  building.  Day  and  night  he  is  “on  the 
job.”  He  follows  the  detail  of  every  order:  he  has  built 
up  the  plant,  and  plans  betterments  all  the  time — a tireless 
enthusiast,  an  optimist.  He  was  educated  among  the 
swells  of  the  Peer ’s  school : studied  law  and  was  admitted. 


278 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


to  the  bar.  The  Kawasaki  concern  was  in  financial  diffi- 
culties, badly  managed,  unsuccessful  in  a word.  He  was 
sent  down  from  Tokyo  something  in  the  guise  of  a receiver, 
and  soon  perceived  that  he  had  found  himself.  He  in- 
quired and  studied,  wrought  and  plodded  until  the  business 
of  ironmaster  and  shipbuilder  was  his  to  have  and  to  hold. 
An  open-faced,  strong-armed  man,  he  has  had  many  other 
responsibilities  added  to  his  cares.  He  is  a member  of  the 
Parliament,  runs  down  to  Tokyo  for  a day  to  vote  or  debate 
and  whisks  back  again.  It  is  as  inspiring  to  meet  him  as 
it  is  to  meet  Charles  M.  Schwab,  the  giant  of  Bethlehem 
steel,  who  did  not  begin  life  in  any  gilt-edged  school  of 
Peers  at  Loretto,  Pa.,  but  came  to  his  great  steel  headship 
just  the  same.  It  is  the  man  and  not  the  binding  of  the 
primer  that  tells. 

And  among  these  types  of  achievement  why  not  make 
mention  of  a man  especially  kind  to  me  and  sympathetic 
about  my  task — Matasaku  Shiohara.  No  doubt  his  interest 
in  me  arose  entirely  from  the  fact  that  he  is  the  Japanese 
partner  in  the  chemical  business  of  my  good  friend  Dr. 
Jokichi  Takamine  before  mentioned.  Nevertheless  he 
stands  fairly  for  the  young  rising  giants  of  business  in 
Japan.  He  is  barely  thirty-seven,  but  has  climbed  on  sheer 
ability  to  be  the  head  of  a chemical  concern  national  in  its 
scope  from  decent  but  humble  beginnings.  The  outbreak 
of  the  European  war  found  him  prepared  to  come  to  the 
rescue  of  the  dye  trade  shut  out  from  its  German  market. 
Of  gentle  bearing  and  suave  manners  he  has  none  of  the 
unrest  of  the  eager,  beady-eyed  little  traders  whom  the 
uninformed  believe  to  be  typical  of  the  business  men  of 
Japan.  He  has  moved  forward  and  upward  silently, 
charmingly  a man  of  taste  in  his  surroundings,  and,  be- 
lieve me,  a remarkable  host. 

And  still  two  typical  figures  stand  out  that  I must  sketch. 
On  the  train  once  from  Tokyo  to  Kamakura  a tall,  stern. 


SOME  LEADERS  OF  MEN  IN  JAPAN  279 


white-bearded  old  gentleman  who  occupied  a seat  rather 
grimly  apart,  attracted  m3'  attention.  He  sat  bolt  upright 
on  a rug  that  in  Japanese  fashion  he  had  spread  for  him- 
self on  the  seat.  No  one  encroached  on  this  sacred  space: 
indeed  the  travellers  gave  him  as  wide  a berth  as  possible 
— a sign  of  respect.  No  one  addressed  him,  but  aU  seemed 
to  know  him.  You  have  seen  faces  giving  the  impression 
that  the  owner  lives  in  a state  of  perpetual  anger  and 
chronic  defiance  and  from  whom  an  explosion  of  rage  and 
cutting  speech  might  be  provoked  at  the  slightest  jar.  The 
old  gentleman ’s  face  and  figure  fascinated  me.  A samurai 
of  the  samurai,  a Japanese  Don  Quixote,  I thought,  as  he 
gazed  straight  ahead  of  him,  seeing  nobod>',  looking  into 
the  realms  where  thoughts  are  at  a never-ending  Walhalla 
battle.  Arrived  at  Kamakura,  he  arose,  a red-cap  seized 
his  slight  belongings  and  he  passed  out  receiving  the  dis- 
creet salutations  from  all  sides  with  what  seemed  a faint 
smile.  So,  in  a rickisha  he  was  trundled  off.  Who  was 
he?  M3'  companion  at  once  became  voluble.  He  was 
Tamotsu  Murata  whose  overwhelming  speech  in  the  House 
of  Peers  had  fired  the  bomb  of  indignation  that  blew  the 
Yamomoto  ministry  to  pieces  a few  months  before.  There 
had  been  rumblings  ever3’where  in  the  streets,  in  the  press, 
over  the  navy  scandals,  but  nobody  in  the  great  parties 
moved  to  put  the  incriminated  party  out : the3'  all  hesitated. 
One  of  the  appointed  members  of  the  Upper  House,  a soli- 
tar3'  among  the  parties,  but  filled  with  the  fire  of  Bushido, 
he  rose  without  warning,  and  made  a speech  that  shook  the 
country.  A masterpiece  of  invective  it  was,  3’et  all  declare 
so  couched  in  loft3'  courtesy  that  no  one  could  except  to 
the  form  whatever  they  thought  of  the  charges  he  made. 
The  House  fairly  thrilled  as  he  pointed  his  long,  bony  finger 
at  a minister  and  said : ‘ ‘ They  are  saying  everywhere  that 
you  are  a thief,  what  answer  have  you  to  make  to  it?”  As 
he  sat  down  he  announced  his  resignation  of  his  seat  among 


280 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


the  Peers — thus,  as  explained  to  me,  committing  a sort  of 
parliamentary  hara-kiri — the  sign  of  ultimate  devotion. 
Grim,  stern,  upright,  he  looked  the  part, — a notable  figure 
anywhere. 

And  now  Furuya,  Strong,  stout,  of  middle  height,  large- 
headed, in  his  mid-thirties,  commend  me  to  Furuya.  There 
are  legions  like  him  in  Tokyo,  apt  men  of  affairs,  enjoying 
life  with  gusto.  He  is  a wholesale  tea  dealer  and  otherwise 
a wide-awake  capitalist,  and  you  may  meet  him  in  Kyoto 
or  Siduoka  as  well  as  in  Tokyo  or  haply  in  South  Street, 
New  York,  for  he  travels  and  talks  of  tea  in  tons  in  English 
as  well  as  in  J apanese.  His  distinction  is  in  his  smile.  On 
the  face  of  man  I have  never  seen  anything  so  suave,  so 
infectious,  so  compelling.  It  must  pain  him  to  look  sad. 
Serious  he  tries  to  be  and  does  his  sums  in  yens  and  dollars 
with  that  contraction  of  the  brows  all  arithmeticians  use, 
but  when  he  sets  down  the  first  figure  of  the  answer,  a smile 
dawns  in  a dimple,  it  affects  the  eyes,  wrinkling  the  skin 
around  them.  At  the  second  figure  the  corners  of  his 
mouth  rise,  at  the  third  his  cheeks  fill  out,  and  from  that 
on  it  is  a roar.  His  hearty  laugh,  his  expansive  smile,  go 
with  me,  and  I say  how  he  must  charm  and  cheer  the  ladies. 
What  buyer  could  resist  his  tale  of  tea.  The  chronicle  of 
his  face  during  the  telling  of  a joke  would  be  an  Iliad  of 
merriment.  Certainly  I like  better  to  think  of  Furuya 
than  Murata. 


CHAPTER  XIX 


PARLIAMENT  AND  POLITICS  IN  JAPAN 

A history  not  thirty  years  old — The  limit  of  ministerial  responsi- 
bility— The  Imperial  Rescript — Three  illustrative  episodes — ' 
Yamomoto’s  fall — Rise  and  fall  of  Okuma — The  rise  of 
Terauchi  — No  so-called  conservatives  — Differing  shades  of 
liberals  and  progressives — A scene  in  Parliament — The 
elections — Growth  of  a Conservative  party,  the  Seiyukai. 

Japan’s  parliamentary  history  covers  so  short  a space  of 
time — not  a third  of  a century — that  its  rules  and  regula- 
tions have  not  hardened  into  granitic  inviolability,  and  its 
precedents  are  not  absolute  guides  to  its  courses  of  action. 
On  the  whole,  however,  it  has  done  well,  and  built  up 
safely,  making  it  absolutely  certain  that  there  will  be  no 
backward  step  in  representative  government  in  Japan.  It 
must  be  remembered  that  actually  as  well  as  technically  the 
Parliament  was  established  by  Imperial  Rescript:  that, 
however  compelling  the  motive  was,  and  however  much 
the  Emperor  was  aided  and  guided  by  the  wisest  in  J apan, 
the  creation  of  a Parliament  as  it  stands  was  his  act.  It 
was  not  at  all  a polite  fiction  that  it  came  from  above  to  the 
people.  It  was  recognized  by  them  as  an  act  of  gracQ,  and 
not  the  registering  of  a popular  right.  This  should  be  kept 
in  view  because  it  is  important  in  understanding  the  suc- 
ceeding phases  of  Japanese  parliamentary  history.  While, 
for  instance,  the  Meiji  Rescript  authorizes  Parliament  to 
pass  laws,  the  date  of  their  promulgation  is  reserved  to 
the  Emperor.  Should  the  Parliament  fail  to  pass  the 
ministerial  budget,  the  budget  of  the  year  before  would 

281 


282 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


apply — a plain  proviso  against  a hostile  Parliament. 
While  the  Parliament  may  defeat  the  ministerial  proposals 
it  cannot  oust  the  ministry.  The  Prime  Minister  is  ap- 
pointed by  the  Crown,  generally  with  the  advice  of  the 
Genro  or  Elder  Statesmen,  a group  of  veteran  counsellors 
not  recognized  in  any  law,  but  grown  by  mere  survival  and 
personal  choice  of  the  Emperor  to  be  the  most  powerful 
influence  in  Japan.  As  far  as  possible  they  are  kept  in  the 
background  for  they  function  only  in  extreme  eases.  Their 
work  has  lately  been  in  evidence  in  a marked  degree,  and 
illustrates  accurately  wherein  Japan  is  still  in  the  rear  of 
pure  representative  government  while  greatly  advanced  for 
an  Asiatic  power.  The  ministry  stands  between  two 
powers.  If  a Parliament  cannot  oust  them  it  can  make 
their  life  a misery  and  their  functioning  all  but  an  im- 
possibility. If  they  please  a parliamentary  majority  they 
must  beware  of  displeasing  the  Genro.  Hence  with  burn- 
ing questions  succeeding  each  other  the  lives  of  ministries 
tend  to  be  short  between  the  two  horns  of  their  dilemma. 
Still  it  is  the  great  adventure  in  Japanese  polities,  and  the 
daring  and  the  ambitious  are  a plentiful  crop  in  Japan. 
There  is  always  somebody  willing  to  try  his  hand  at  the 
Premiership  and  pick  a Cabinet  that  he  hopes  will  hold 
water.  Since  1890  there  have  been  sixteen  ministries. 
Prince  Ito,  the  father  of  Japan’s  parliamentary  formation, 
heading  four  of  them.  Prince  Katsura  three  and  Count 
(now  Marquis)  Okuma,  two.  Illustrative  of  conditions 
that  govern  in  the  premierships,  going  no  farther  back  than 
1913  one  finds  the  ministry  of  Baron  Yamomoto  in  power 
with  a safe  majority  in  the  Lower  House  and  excellent 
support  from  the  Upper.  Suddenly  a scandal  breaks  out 
involving  the  honour  of  high  navy  officials  who  had  accepted 
bribes  from  a German  source.  Yamomoto  who  had  been  a 
distinguished  admiral  suffered  deeply  from  this  wound, 
and  amid  general  condemnation  he  resigned.  Now  mark. 


PARLIAMENT  AND  POLITICS  IN  JAPAN  283 


Parliament  having  no  voice  in  the  appointment  of  a suc- 
cessor waited  for  a nomination.  Prince  Tokugawa  was  of- 
fered the  post  but  declined.  For  quite  a while  no  one  whom 
the  Genro  approved  would  accept.  At  length  some  one 
thought  of  Count  Okuma  who  had  been  Premier  but  was 
long  out  of  politics — a forceful  man.  Nothing  loath,  he 
accepted,  exacting  some  certainty  of  support  in  the  Upper 
House  and  taking  his  chance  with  the  Lower,  but  having 
no  party  backing  of  his  own.  He  got  together  a pretty 
strong  cabinet,  omitting  any  member  of  the  Seiyukai  party 
which  had  stood  back  of  Yamomoto.  It  was  a hard  fight 
for  a year,  scraping  together  at  last  a composite  following 
in  the  Lower  House.  Certain  bills  were  passed  by  leave 
of  the  opposition,  but  at  length  he  reached  an  impasse. 
The  House  refused  to  pass  the  law  adding  two  divisions 
to  the  army.  This  had  long  been  a bone  of  contention. 
Parliaments  which  would  pass  anything  for  the  navy  had 
upset  ministries  rather  than  grant  this  to  the  army.  Count 
Okuma  dissolved  Parliament,  and  ‘ ‘ went  to  the  country ; ’ ’ 
result,  the  election  of  a majority  in  his  favour,  his  enemies 
the  Seiyukai  re-entering  sadly  shorn  in  numbers.  Here  we 
see  the  choice  of  the  Genro  (with  the  advantage  of  being 
the  dispenser  of  much  patronage)  winning  out  against  the 
hostile  majority  that  faced  him  at  the  start.  But  Count 
Okuma ’s  day  to  fall  was  coming.  He  passed  the  army  bill, 
but  a scandal  arose  about  bribing  some  members  to  secure 
votes  for  it,  and  involving  a member  of  his  Cabinet.  A 
clamour  went  up  from  the  Seiyukai  that  he  should  resign. 
Soon  the  Genro  began  to  hold  the  same  view.  They  said 
they  did  not  like  the  cut  of  his  Chinese  policy.  The  Count 
was  old  (only  seventy -nine)  and  he  bethought  himself  of 
using  that  as  his  plea  for  getting  out,  planning  at  the  same 
time  to  seat  his  right-hand  man,  Viscount  Kato — a statesman 
of  great  ability  and  Foreign  Minister — in  the  Premiership 
from  which  he  was  retiring.  At  the  last  no  secret  was  made 


284 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


of  Count  Okuma’s  plan.  His  supporters  in  the  popular 
branch  had  come  together — Doshikai,  Chusekai  and  others 
and  formed  a new  overmastering  party  with  a sweeping 
majority,  calling  itself  the  Kensekai.  No  loquacious  mon- 
arch enjoying  apparently  the  admiration  of  his  people,  the 
support  of  his  Parliament,  could  have  prepared  a more 
touching  program  for  a retirement.  He  could  go  out 
and  be  the  grand  old  man  in  verity,  enjoy  his  life  without 
worry,  and  yet  be  always  at  hand  to  give  his  successor  a 
hint  when  necessary.  It  was  a curious  mixture  of  the 
wily — and  the  naive.  In  due  time,  suiting  himself  as  to 
dates,  he  repaired  to  the  palace,  and  at  a formal  court 
audience  placed  his  resignation  in  the  hands  of  the  young 
Emperor,  adding  what  no  Premier  had  ever  undertaken  to 
add  before,  a strong  hope  and  ardent  recommendation  that 
Viscount  Kato  be  named  by  His  Majesty  as  his  successor. 
Frost ! The  Emperor  smiled  the  true  diplomatic  smile  and 
accepted  the  resignation.  The  veteran  statesman  of  half 
a century  of  service  made  the  proper  obeisance  and  with- 
drew, forcing  an  optimistic  smile  amid  the  zero  atmosphere 
that  he  found  on  every  side. 

The  Genro  had  been  busy.  Prince  Yamagata  its  most 
influential  member  remained  inscrutable,  but  in  a few  days 
announcement  came  from  the  palace  that  the  Emperor  had 
called  upon  Marquis  Terauehi,  for  six  years  Governor 
General  of  Korea,  and  before  that  a great  minister  of  war 
and  the  type  of  the  military  bureaucracy  and  the  Choshu 
clan,  to  take  the  post  of  Prime  Minister.  Uproar!  What? 
Appoint  a parliamentary  outsider,  a military  bureaucrat  to 
this  place  of  places,  and  expect  him  to  be  supported  ? Well, 
they  would  see  about  it.  Those  who  had  the  good  fortune 
to  know  Marquis  Terauehi  and  his  splendid  work  did  not 
share  the  tremor  of  unrest  that  ran  through  Japan.  If 
the  moment  of  the  Okuma  resignation  had  been  skilfully 
chosen,  it  suited  the  incoming  administration  just  as  well. 


PARLIAMENT  AND  POLITICS  IN  JAPAN  285 


The  Kensekai  had  drawn  the  budget,  and  would  scarcely 
be  in  a position  to  overthrow  it.  The  new  Premier  could 
just  present  himself  to  Parliament,  and  take  the  adjourn- 
ment usual  at  that  time  of  the  year,  practically  choosing 
his  own  time  for  beginning  his  real  battle  for  supremacy  in 
the  Parliament.  Meanwhile  he  had  gathered  a strong  min- 
istry— Baron  Motono  for  Foreign  Affairs  and  Baron  Goto 
for  the  Home  Office  heading  them.  And  here  one  may  note 
how  rich  Japan  is  today  in  men  of  skill,  experience  and 
calibre  for  the  high  official  posts. 

At  last  the  Terauehi  ministry  faced  the  Parliament.  Thq 
buttons  were  off  the  foils  in  an  instant,  the  House  thrilling 
with  excitement,  Viscount  Kato,  so  flatly  rejected  by  the 
Emperor,  sitting  grim,  spectacled  and  implacable  with  the 
serried  ranks  of  the  Kensekai  behind  him,  Mr.  Ozaki,  the 
ex-Minister  of  Justice,  full  to  his  eloquent  lips  of  a scathing 
speech  he  had  ready  and  his  flne  eyes  dilating  with  the 
prospect  of  the  fray.  Scarcely  could  the  ministry  present 
themselves  before  it  was  plain  that  a smashing  vote  of  want 
of  confldenee  was  about  to  be  put  and  passed  out  of  hand. 
It  was  a time  for  quick  action  and  it  came.  Before  Ozaki 
could  open  his  lips,  a messenger  from  the  Premier  arrived 
with  an  order  dissolving  the  Parliament.  The  coup,  while 
not  altogether  unexpected,  startled  Japan.  Now  mark  once 
more  what  happened.  Months  should  elapse  before  the  new 
elections.  Premier  Terauehi  had  time  to  make  plain  that 
his  was  to  be  no  fire-eating  ministry:  that  his  upbuilding 
work  in  Korea  was  to  be  the  type  of  his  government  and 
not  a militaristic  adventure.  Strong  man  he  would  remain 
and  utterly  without  the  volatile  quality  of  his  predecessor, 
but  when  a nation  is  at  war  in  the  greatest  war  of  the  world, 
it  was  seen  that  his  strength,  efficiency  and  balance  would 
be  desirable  factors.  A new  and  friendly  face  to  China 
could  be  better  shown  by  such  a man  than  by  those  who  had 
preceded  him.  Of  course  the  actual  government  as  in 


286 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


Okuma’s  case  has  a power  of  attraction,  but  the  electorate 
judged  the  matter  for  itself.  Suffice  it  to  say  that 
Terauchi  won  the  election.  The  Seiyukai  to  whom  he  had 
allied  himself  gained  strength,  the  Kensekai  for  all  its 
skilful  upbuilding  and  grasp  on  power  under  the  lead  of 
Viscount  Kato  fell  apart.  Terauchi ’s  victory  was  complete. 

The  three  recent  episodes  here  hastily  sketched  of  the  fall 
of  Yamomoto,  the  rise  and  fall  of  Okuma,  and  the  rise  of 
Terauchi,  intelligently  studied,  give  one  a clear  insight  into 
the  relations  between  the  people,  the  Parliament  and  the 
Crown  in  Japan.  I have  naturally  omitted  minor  con- 
siderations. The  limitation  of  popular  power  is  plain,  but 
in  the  instances,  however  briefly  described,  one  can  surely 
detect  also  a salutary  force  of  national  wisdom  at  work 
keeping  progress  linked  to  moderation  in  a broad  immut- 
able policy,  and,  one  may  hope,  all  for  the  best.  It  should 
be  clearly  borne  in  mind  that  the  Emperor’s  personality 
does  not  enter  at  all  into  the  dialectics  of  the  hour  in  such 
contests  as  I have  sketched.  In  Japan’s  abounding  loyalty 
of  today  that  is  held  sacred  and  apart.  The  conflict  is 
between  the  Bureaucracy  and  the  Parliament  as  expressive 
of  the  popular  will,  and  despite  the  effulgency  and  strength 
of  the  present  ministry,  and  the  fairly  merited  success  of 
its  plans  and  policy,  the  development  tends  to  the  advance 
in  concrete  shape  of  the  phases  of  the  popular  will,  how- 
ever slowly. 

“Which  is  the  Conservative  and  which  the  Liberal 
party?”  I asked  of  a Japanese  friend  in  Tokyo — a man 
particularly  wise  in  things  political  but  not  at  all  versed 
in  things  economic  in  Japan  or  anywhere  else. 

“They  are  all  Liberal,”  he  said  with  an  enigmatic  smile 
and  an  outward  wave  of  the  hand. 

And  then  he  explained: 

Japan  came  out  of  the  political  darkness  of  the  shogun 
era  in  1868,  really  as  the  outcome  of  a revolt  of  the  daimios 


PARLIAMENT  AND  POLITICS  IN  JAPAN  287 


or  feudal  lords  against  the  Tokugawa  shogunate,  but  the 
people  who  had  been  tasting  the  wine  of  educational  enter- 
prise and  imbibing  the  spirit  of  Western  industrialism, 
following  on  the  opening  of  Japan  to  Occidental  trade  in 
1853  by  Commodore  Perry,  faced  definitely  forward.  The 
young  Emperor  had  been  brought  by  the  revolution  that 
overthrew  the  Tokugawa  shogun  from  Kyoto,  the  old 
capital,  to  Tokyo,  the  new  capital.  AU  Japan  felt  not  only 
that  it  had  found  in  the  Emperor  a great  progressive  leader, 
but  that  henceforth  the  whole  people  was  to  take  its  share 
in  the  details  of  the  government.  There  were  no  conser- 
vatives in  evidence.  Those  who  held  to  any  of  the  old 
political  beliefs  and  feudal  order  of  things  advisedly  held 
their  peace  as  the  advancing  wave  of  liberalism  broke  over 
their  heads. 

Much,  however,  had  to  be  accomplished,  some  reactions 
were  to  follow  and  to  be  put  down,  before  matters  were 
in  shape  for  the  beginning  of  true  representative  govern- 
ment. The  Emperor  in  1868  had  proclaimed  on  oath  the 
five  principles  by  which  his  government  would  be  guided — 
the  Magna  Charta  of  Japan.  They  included 

1.  An  assembly  widely  convoked  to  discuss  impartially 

and  decide  all  affairs  of  state. 

2.  Administrative  matters  to  be  conducted  by  co-opera- 

tion of  governing  and  governed. 

3.  All  the  people — officials,  soldiers  and  the  rest — to  be 

won  from  idleness  and  discontent  and  encouraged 

to  achieve  their  legitimate  desires. 

4.  Absurd  old  usages  to  be  abandoned  and  righteousness 

to  rule. 

5.  Knowledge  and  learning  to  be  sought  the  world  over, 

and  thus  greatly  strengthen  the  imperial  polity. 

So  in  1869  an  assembly  of  notables  met.  It  did  not 
accomplish  much,  but  discussed  a great  many  things  and 
was  indefinitely  prorogued  in  1870.  The  eastern  lords  or 


288 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


daimios  rose  in  arms  in  opposition  to  the  western  daimios. 
There  were  small  bloody  battles,  but  the  Mikado  and  the 
western  daimios  led  by  the  great  Satsuma  and  Choshu  clans 
won  decisively.  Thenceforth,  although  a Parliament  was 
still  far  off,  events  marched  in  an  ever-broadening  path. 
In  1874  the  Saga  rebellion  broke  out  and  was  suppressed. 
The  first  assembly,  inexpert  and  visionary,  died  of  inanition 
in  1873.  Meanwhile  certain  great  reforms  had  been  accom- 
plished and  advances  made.  Among  them  were  the  aboli- 
tion of  feudalism  by  buying  out  the  landed  lords,  who 
surrendered  their  vast  estates  for  government  bonds — and 
took  “Western”  titles  corresponding  to  their  former  rating 
as  daimios,  namely,  prince,  marquis,  count,  viscount  and 
baron,  the  abolition  of  the  samurai  sword-bearing  custom 
and  the  beginning  of  railroad  building.  A group  of  able 
statesmen,  and  an  assembly  of  prefectural  governors  formed 
the  government  under  the  Emperor. 

In  1877  the  great  reactionary  rebellion  broke  out,  and  it 
took  seven  months  of  fighting  to  bring  the  insurgent 
samurai  of  Satsuma  to  their  knees  before  the  rifles  of  the 
young  commoners  of  Japan.  This  victory  for  the  Emperor 
is  as  the  second  starting  point  of  the  revolution.  It  left 
the  nobles  of  the  great  western  clans,  grouped  under  the 
“Satsu-Cho”  (Satsuma  and  Choshu)  banner  in  the  seats  of 
power  and  command,  forming  the  basis  of  the  bureaucracy 
which  endures  entrenched  and  formidable  to  this  daj',  but 
it  also  opened  the  way  for  an  agitation  for  a true  constitu- 
tional government.  With  many  setbacks,  investigations 
and  delays  this  agitation  triumphed  in  1889  in  the  adoption 
by  the  Emperor  of  the  present  Constitution.  It  had  been 
drawn  up  by  a group  of  statesmen  headed  bj’^  the  Premier, 
Prince  Ito,  a group  of  nobles  and  the  Emperor  himself, 
whose  assent  sealed  its  authority.  It  provided  for  a Par- 
liament somewhat  on  the  English  style — a House  of  Lords 
and  a House  of  Representatives,  to  make  laws,  a Cabinet  to 


PARLIAMENT  AND  POLITICS  IN  JAPAN  289 


carry  on  the  government,  a Privy  Council  to  advise  the 
Emperor.  It  was  not  until  1890  that  the  first  Parliament 
convened,  so  that  although  Japan  had  restored  its  Emperor 
to  power  in  1868,  twenty-two  years  had  to  elapse  before  it 
opened  a Parliament,  and  that  was  only  twenty-seven 
years  ago. 

Nor  in  measuring  Japan’s  government  should  it  be 
assumed  that  the  Parliament  is  supreme  or  that  the  life  of 
the  Cabinet  is  wholly  dependent,  as  in  England,  on  com- 
manding a majority  of  the  Lower  House.  The  passage  of 
laws  is,  as  I have  said,  in  the  hands  of  the  Parliament  but 
their  promulgation  is  at  the  will  of  the  Emperor,  who  prob- 
ably acts  finally  on  the  advice  of  the  Privy  Council  and 
Elder  Statesmen.  Nevertheless  matters,  I believe,  are 
slowly  but  surely  moving  toward  full  parliamentary  con- 
trol, although  a setback  now  and  then  will  for  awhile  stand 
in  the  way. 

The  Constitution  makers  in  designing  the  House  of  Peers 
put  all  the  naturally  conservative  elements  into  it,  assuming 
doubtless  that  it  was  necessary  to  place  a vigorous  check 
on  the  popular  branch  whose  trend  would  be  to  encroach 
perpetually  on  the  powers  reserved  to  the  monarchy.  Its 
composition  shows  this.  It  has  three  hundred  and  seventy- 
nine  members,  as  follows:  twelve  princes  of  the  blood 
imperial,  fourteen  princes,  thirty-four  marquises  all  by 
right  of  birth,  seventeen  counts,  seventy  viscounts,  sixty- 
three  barons,  the  three  latter  classes  elected  every  seven 
years  by  their  respective  orders,  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
two  imperial  nominees,  including  forty  peers  appointed  for 
life  by  the  Emperor  and  forty-five  highest  taxpayers,  one 
in  each  prefecture,  elected  for  seven  years  by  the  taxpayers 
themselves.  Conservatism  is  plainly  painted  on  every  one 
of  these  groups.  The  nominees  imperially  appointed  con- 
sist of  a dozen  former  ministers,  as  many  vice  ministers, 
thirty  ex-officials  and  among  the  remaining  men  of 


290 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


eminence,  seven  scholars,  eight  scientists,  seven  lawyers, 
five  educationalists,  ten  journalists,  one  banker  and  so  on. 
These  exalted  commoners  while  they  “leaven  the  lump” 
with  the  finer  products  of  modern  mentality,  do  not  sug- 
gest a group  likely  to  contain  radicals  of  violent  progres- 
sives. This  is  even  truer  of  the  highest  taxpayers,  who 
doubtless  believe  in  their  hearts  that  the  rich  pay  taxes 
enough  as  it  is.  And  they  do  pay  much.  Another  thing  to 
be  observed  is  that  the  Japanese  House  of  Lords  unlike 
the  English  House  does  not  stand  for  landed  interests. 
The  nobles,  as  has  been  noted,  parted  with  their  estates 
which  are  now  broken  up  into  farms ; the  highest  taxpayers 
are  not  always  landowners. 

The  candidate  for  the  Lower  House,  therefore,  appeals  to 
all  the  interests  looking  for  greater  liberalism,  greater 
freedom,  greater  enterprise,  greater  indulgence,  faster 
progress,  and  the  mere  name  of  Conservative  would  damn 
him  beyond  recall.  If  he  aspires  to  represent  a city  popu- 
lation he  must  profess  trade  extension,  graded  taxation, 
industrial  initiative.  If  he  hopes  that  a rural  constituency 
will  elect  him,  he  must  make  farming  his  god,  water-power 
and  river  conservation  his  constemt  prayer.  In  any  con- 
stituency he  must  be  a rampant  patriot  and  wave  the  sun- 
burst flag  of  the  Empire,  its  honour  and  its  prestige. 
What  saves  him  from  the  uttermost  of  prostemations  before 
the  proletariat  is  the  limitation  of  the  suffrage.  For  here 
is  a nation  obsessed  with  the  idea  of  change  and  progress. 
The  old  order  has  largely  given  place  to  the  new,  but  there 
is  a deal  of  the  old  still  clinging  to  the  nation.  Devouring 
knowledge  with  the  appetite  born  of  great  hunger  and  still 
unsatisfied  it  fairly  worships  the  new  education.  Stimu- 
lated by  successes  already  attained,  the  urge  of  higher 
successes  pushes  it  ceaselessly  along.  Not  an  item  of 
foreign  progress  in  any  of  the  callings  escapes  it.  If 
Washington,  London,  Paris  or  Berlin  has  adopted  a new 


TIIK  IlOrSE  OK  KKPKKSKXTATIVES,  TOKYO 


PAELIASIENT  AND  POLITICS  IN  JAPAN  291 


scheme  of  education  or  any  scientific  novelty,  all  of  Japan 
interested  in  that  particular  matter  is  instantly  up  and 
crying  out  for  it.  From  harbour  improvement  to  new  rice 
seedlings  the  call  for  government  help  goes  up  unceasing. 
No  room  for  conservatism  in  all  this:  it  is  simply  for  the 
candidate  to  ask,  What  brand  of  liberalism  must  I advo- 
cate? Along  that  line  have  all  the  popular  parties  in  the 
House  of  Representatives  ranged  themselves,  but  the  can- 
didate’s personality  tells  most  in  Japan. 

The  House  of  Representatives,  which  I personally  ob- 
served, and  which  was  dissolved  in  1914,  was  elected  in 
1912,  and  had  381  members.  They  were  chosen  by 
1,503,968  electors  out  of  a population  of  53,500,000.  The 
electoral  divisions  are  roughly  east  to  include  a population 
of  130,000:  but  the  average  of  qualified  voters  in  each 
district  is  only  3,947,  or  one  voter  to  every  thirty-three 
inhabitants.  The  voters  are  males  of  twenty-five  years  and 
over  who  pay  ten  yen  yearly  in  taxes,  which  implies  an 
income  of  800  to  1,000  yen,  quite  a respectable  sum  in 
Japan.  It  unfortunately  excludes  many  men  of  education 
from  the  suffrage.  It  is  still,  as  one  can  see,  pretty  far 
from  manhood  not  to  talk  of  manhood  and  womanhood 
suffrage. 

For  comparison  with  our  own  Lower  House,  it  may  be 
said  that  our  435  members  represent  each  a population  of 
nearly  quarter  of  a million,  and  the  voters  in  the  presi- 
dential election  of  19J.2  who  numbered  15,036,542  out  of  a 
population  of  98,646,491  were  one  in  every  six  and  a half 
inhabitants. 

In  a pecuniary  way  membership  in  the  Japanese 
Parliament  is  not  very  attractive.  Election  expenses 
average  between  6,000  and  7,000  yen,  but  may  run  up  to 
50,000  or  even  60,000  yen.  The  yearly  pay  is  but  2,000 
yen  or  $1,000  with  a free  pass  over  the  government  railways 
and  travelling  expenses.  As  the  elections  are  for  four 


292 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


years,  a member  may  come  out  a bit  ahead  of  the  actual 
cost  to  him  if  the  Parliament  lasts  its  full  term,  but  when 
it  lasts  only  two  years,  the  members  face  a fresh  expense 
for  re-election  and  only  two  years’  salary  to  the  good. 
Obviously,  then,  a man  must  have  other  means  of  support. 
The  lordly  allowance  of  $7,500  to  our  members  of  Congress 
with  liberal  mileage  is  the  envy  of  the  legislators  of  the 
island  kingdom. 

Dark  stories  are  told  of  corruption  among  the  voters 
which  naturally  mean  increased  expenses.  There  is  a 
complaint  of  much  apathy  among  the  better  off  electors  and 
some  complaints,  among  other  things,  of  voters  taking 
money  from  both  candidates,  and  it  is  said  that  much  of 
the  opposition  to  secret  voting  was  due  to  the  impossibility 
of  telling  when  a voter  ‘ ‘ stayed  bought.  ’ ’ 

With  all  that,  electioneering  is  vigorously  practised.  The 
confusion  of  the  party  lines  and  what  they  stand  for  make 
against  a canvass  by  public  meetings,  but  enforce  that 
personal  visitation  which  would  have  broken  the  proud 
heart  of  Coriolanus.  It  is  one  of  the  cases  in  which  the 
women  members  of  the  candidate’s  family  are  often 
utilized.  I recall  one  lady,  the  mother  of  a candidate  in 
Tokyo,  declining  to  make  any  purely  social  engagements 
until  after  the  election.  The  praising  of  neat  households, 
gossip  with  voters’  wives  and  the  petting  of  voters’  babies 
would  take  up,  she  said,  all  the  time  she  could  spare.  But 
candidature  is  attractive  all  the  same.  Few  people  love 
display  and  personal  prominence  as  profoundly  as  the 
Japanese.  Members  of  the  House  have  many  social  privi- 
leges and  all  sorts  of  prominence.  The  coronation  of  the 
young  Emperor,  Yoshihito,  at  Kyoto  for  instance  was  a 
great  occasion,  and  the  members  of  the  House  had  a gallant 
part  and  front  seats,  with  call  for  the  wearing  of  dress 
suits,  tall  hats  and  white  gloves  to  their  hearts’  content  and 
so  an  animated  canvass  with  all  this  as  a bait  dangling  in 


PARLIAMENT  AND  POLITICS  IN  JAPAN  293 


the  distance  as  well  as  the  traditional  desire  to  “save 
the  country”  and  advance  the  party,  loomed  large 
in  the  purview  of  the  eager  candidates  of  1914.  Purse 
strings  held  religiously  tight  on  other  occasions  loosened 
up  freely.  Elections  sometimes  lead  to  rioting  as  in 
other  countries,  but  as  a rule  they  pass  off  in  complete 
quiet. 

Japan  in  the  throes  of  a general  election  does  not  present 
the  scene  of  excitement  which  marks  the  quadrennial 
struggle  in  the  United  States.  The  canvass  is  a more 
personal  and  individual  one  than  with  us.  A feature  is 
the  use  of  thousands  and  thousands  of  personally  directed 
postal  cards.  The  leaders  hold  great  rally  meetings.  The 
batteries  of  the  party  organs  keep  up  a pretty  lively  fusil- 
lade of  political  shrapnel.  Most  of  the  greater  native 
papers  are,  however,  independent,  those  of  the  largest  cir- 
culation, such  as  the  Tokyo  AsaM  or  Morning  Sun  with  a 
circulation  of  350,000,  being  strongly  nationalistic  and 
avoiding  strict  party  lines. 

One  of  the  results  of  the  social  rearrangements  after  the 
Restoration  in  1868,  was  that  the  landed  owner  was  either 
a small  capitalist  or  the  farmer  himself,  and  not  a noble. 
Thus  the  Lower  House  really  stands  for  the  land  owners 
and  farming  interests  just  as  our  own  Lower  House  does 
for  the  farmers  of  America.  With  such  a large  proportion 
of  the  people  engaged  in  agriculture  it  should  not  be  sur- 
prising to  find  eighty  farmers  among  the  members.  In 
appearance,  manner  and  dress  there  is  little  to  distinguish 
them  outwardly  from  the  lawyers,  journalists,  business 
men,  traders,  bankers,  manufacturers  and  so  on  who  con- 
stitute the  remaining  301,  but  they  naturally  have  few 
orators.  A consequence  of  this  large  farmer  representation 
is  the  excessive  care  taken  by  the  government  of  all  things 
agricultural.  Such  a number  of  experimental  stations,  of 
investigating  bureaus,  of  promotive  offices  for  the  cultiva- 


294 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


tion  of  this,  that  and  the  other!  Blessed,  indeed,  in  the 
estimation  of  the  rural  voters  is  he  who  discovers  a reason 
for  a new  agricultural  bureau. 

The  House  sits  about  three  months  of  the  year.  It 
assembles  every  other  day,  committee  work  occupying  the 
off  days.  The  members  work  fairly  conscientiously,  and 
are  solid,  thoughtful-looking  men  with  that  tendency  to  the 
panache  which  is  a weakness  of  the  public  man  the  world 
over. 

On  opening  day  the  members  gather  in  fuU  dress  to 
receive  His  Majesty,  the  Emperor,  or  the  august  repre- 
sentative who  takes  his  place.  On  ordinary  days  many  of 
the  members  walk  to  the  House — the  nation  still  loves 
walking — but  on  a full  dress  day  they  come  mostly  in 
rickishas,  with  a few  in  carriages  and  one  or  two  in  automo- 
biles. It  makes  a most  unusual  sight  to  see  the  nearly  four 
hundred  rickishas  coming  in  with  the  little  jog-trot  of  the 
kuruma  men  in  their  mushroom  hats,  dominated  by  the 
tall  silk  hats  of  the  proud  members,  very  grand  beside  in 
black  coats,  open  shirt  fronts  and  white  ties.  Fondly  have 
their  devoted  wives  dwelt  over  the  details  of  this  gala 
appearance,  the  household  coyly  assembling  to  see  the  head 
of  the  house  depart  in  such  state.  Very  erect  they  sit  as 
they  are  whirled  along  in  the  handy  little  vehicles,  some  of 
them  wearing  white  gloves.  The  diplomatic  corps  add  to 
the  distinction  of  this  assembling,  their  carriages  bowling 
along  with  a shouting  of  the  footman  who  runs  ahead 
through  crowded  thoroughfares — a real  footman — to  swing 
aboard  again  with  surprising  agility  when  there  is  less  of 
a crowd  in  the  streets.  The  ministers  and  vice  ministers  as 
well  as  the  legation  people  wear  grand  uniforms  with  gold 
lace  and  cocked-hats,  so  that  the  whole  turnout  is  exhil- 
arating. On  ordinary  occasions  the  members  wear  Japanese 
or  Occidental  dress  at  will,  and  for  my  part  I think  the 
native  costume  far  more  dignified — Roman  senator-like — 


PAELIAMENT  AND  POLITICS  IN  JAPAN  295 


than  the  gala  costume  of  Europe  or  America — for  delib- 
erative occasions. 

The  legislative  chambers  of  the  Houses  are  large  and 
lofty,  with  an  amphitheatric  arrangement  of  the  members’ 
desks  and  seats,  facing  the  speaker,  and  with  galleries  on 
three  sides,  those  for  the  public  at  either  end,  the  diplomatic 
galleries  and  a woman’s  gallery  along  the  side  in  front  of 
the  tribune.  On  the  continental  plan,  the  orator  stands  on 
a tribune  under  the  speaker.  Four  stenographers  sit  at 
green-topped  tables  under  the  orator.  Still  lower  are  desks 
for  Ministers. 

On  the  occasion  of  voting  the  appropriation  for  the 
funeral  of  the  Empress  Dowager,  for  which  a brief  extra 
session  was  called,  I had  the  honour  of  an  invitation  to  be 
present  in  the  diplomatic  gallery.  The  ticket  bore  my 
name  with  the  information  that  if  I came  in  Japanese  dress 
I should  wear  a haori  (or  light  over-garment)  and  a hakama 
(or  combination  of  vest  and  apron)  over  the  kimono — these 
three  constituting  Japanese  ceremonial  dress:  if  otherwise 
— in  Occidental  dress.  Visitors  must  carry  no  cane  or 
umbrella:  must  make  no  criticism.  It  appears  that  once 
a visitor  in  one  of  the  galleries  threw  an  egg  at  an  orator, 
and  ever  since  'he  ordinary  native  visitor  is  deftly  and 
gently  but  surely  “frisked”  for  firearms  or  projectiles. 
This  latter  is  omitted  in  the  case  of  foreigners.  At  any 
rate  the  gatekeeper  asked  of  me  no  more  than  a visiting 
card.  We  were  conducted  upstairs  to  the  gallery  where 
seats  were  politely  found  for  our  party.  The  public 
galleries  were  packed  with  men  in  Japanese  dress  sitting 
quite  still.  The  women’s  gallery  was  also  quite  full,  but  a 
little  hum  of  talk  twittered  from  it.  Tickets  from  members 
are  necessary  for  the  public  galleries. 

At  precisely  one  o’clock  a bell-ringer  went  around  the 
corridors  outside  the  chamber  ringing  his  bell,  and  the 
members  came  thronging  in  until  the  place  was  filled.  As 


296 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


each  member  took  his  seat,  he  laid  hands  on  a little  squared, 
black-lacquered  post  about  ten  inches  high  which  was  lying 
flat  on  his  desk,  and  on  which  his  name  appeared  in  white 
ideographs  on  three  sides.  He  placed  the  post  on  end  as 
a signal  that  there  he  was.  The  speaker  took  his  seat. 

Proceedings  were  brief.  The  speaker  announced  the 
imperial  order  for  the  extra  session.  The  Finance  Minister 
arose,  decorously  regretted  the  passing  of  the  Empress  and 
read  the  bill.  Count  Okuma,  the  Prime  Minister,  now  took 
the  tribune.  He  made  a striking  flgure.  Tall  he  seemed 
as  he  stepped  into  the  tribune — tall  and  gaunt,  close-shaven 
and  almost  bald,  with  clear-cut  features  over  which  the  fine, 
ivory-white  skin  was  drawn  like  parchment.  He  glanced 
around  with  dark  fiery  eyes.  He  was  seventy-seven  years 
old  but  might,  from  his  alertness  of  bearing  and  ereetness 
of  carriage,  be  fifteen  years  younger ; he  halts  in  his  sturdy 
gait  because  of  the  loss  of  a leg  some  twenty  years  back 
at  the  hands  of  a would-be  assassin.  Japanese  modern 
history  is  all  too  thickly  sprinkled  with  these  homicidal 
fanatics  who  apparently  spring  up  now  in  all  lands  at  the 
beck  of  the  demons  of  prejudice  and  ambition.  The 
Count’s  gestures  were  not  many  and  his  address  was  short 
but  full  of  feeling.  He  speaks  with  the  greatest  freedom. 
The  face  in  all  is  now  seen  to  be  boldly  modelled,  the 
forehead  good,  the  nose  unusually  long  and  thin  for  a 
Japanese.  His  high  cheek-bones  make  declivities  around 
them.  His  mouth  is  mobile,  and  he  uses  his  lips  in 
talking  more  than  most  Orientals.  His  tribute  to  the 
Great  Lady  was  delivered  with  feeling  and  there  was  some 
applause  as  he  ended.  The  vote  was  then  taken,  nem.  con. 
and  the  sitting  was  over;  time  1.15  p.m.  The  scene  was 
repeated  in  the  House  of  Lords.  The  appropriation  called 
for  600,000  yen,  or  $300,000. 

Interest  of  course  turns  on  the  standing  of  the  parties. 
I have  shown  why  it  is  that  aU  the  parties  in  the  Lower 


PARLIAMENT  AND  POLITICS  IN  JAPAN  297 


House  are  liberals  and  progressives.  It  remains  to  be  said, 
however,  that  a Conservative  party  is  really  in  process  of 
formation,  and  will  be  found  bound  up  with  the  fortunes 
of  the  Seiyukai  which  held  the  majority  at  the  time  of 
the  dissolution,  after  which  it  sank  to  a poor  second  in  the 
Okuma  election,  but  rose  to  something  of  its  commanding 
position  in  the  election  of  1917  which  firmly  seated  Marquis 
Terauchi. 

The  Seiyukai,  literally  “Association  of  Political 
Friends”  was  formed  in  1900  by  the  late  Prince  Ito, 
altogether  the  greatest  of  Japan’s  political  leaders  under 
the  present  regime.  As  permanent  power  in  Japanese 
politics  has  always  lain  on  the  side  of  the  bureaucracy 
the  leader  formed  an  alliance  with  them.  They  wei’e  thus 
doubly  protected,  first  by  their  numbers  and  second  by  an 
\inderstanding  with  leading  groups  in  the  House  of  Peers. 
With  varying  fortunes  they  seemed  to  reach  the  apex  in 
the  election  of  1912  when  they  returned  206  members  out 
of  a total  of  381.  Now  the  bureaucracy,  as  reflecting  the 
affiliations  of  the  Satsuma  clan,  were  ardent  supporters  of 
big  navy  estimates  as  against  those  for  the  army,  and 
claimed  the  allegiance  of  the  highest  naval  officers.  When, 
therefore,  it  became  kno^vn  that  corruption  and  bribe- 
taking figured  in  naval  circles,  the  popular  outcry  of 
wounded  pride  and  nation-wide  indignation  included  the 
Seiyukai  in  its  denunciations.  The  Yamamoto  ministry 
was,  as  I have  earlier  noted,  forced  to  resign,  and,  in  spite 
of  its  numbers,  the  Seiyukai  trembled  on  the  verge  of  a 
break-up.  It  was  this  moral  weakness  that  allowed  Count 
Okuma  to  rule  with  a minority,  made  up  of  heterogenous 
elements.  The  leadership  of  the  Seiyukai  is  now  in  the 
hands  of  Mr.  Hara,  a politician  of  great  vigour  and 
resource.  It  is  largely  the  party  of  landed  interests  and 
industrial  elements,  and  the  bureaucratic  support,  open  or 
secret,  holds  it  up  against  the  popular  call.  It  has  external 


298 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


support  in  strong  local  parties  in  some  of  the  large  cities. 
Thus  the  Tokiwakai  which  is  called  the  Tokjm  Tammany 
supports  the  Seiyukai.  It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  the 
Seiyukai  stands  generally  for  things  as  they  were,  and  in 
a nation  pushing  forward  on  all  possible  lines  that  is-  not 
likely  to  be  permanently  attractive,  outside  the  ranks  of 
those  snug  in  office  or  outside  the  ranks  of  businesses  that 
the  olden  conditions  favoured.  In  alliance  with  the  Seijm- 
kai  is  the  Kokuminto  or  Nationalist  party  led  by  Mr. 
Inukai — a thoughtful  man  and  a clever  politician.  The 
party  is  an  offshoot  of  the  old  Shimpoto  organization. 
The  Kensekai  led  by  Viscount  Kato  makes  the  bulk  of  the 
opposition.  At  the  present  writing  the  parties  of  the  Diet 
are  divided  as  follows:  Seiyukai,  160;  Kokuminto,  35; 
Kensekai,  118;  Independent,  57. 

Parties  it  may  be  noted  in  Japan  are  in  most  cases  the 
following  of  a strong  man,  and  a fluctuation  in  member- 
ship of  groups  is  the  commonplace  of  politics  there.  There 
are  always  independents  who  vote  as  pleases  them. 


CHAPTER  XX 


JAPAN  AND  BIG  BUSINESS 


Her  new  entry  in  the  world’s  trade  and  toil — The  nation  alive 
with  new  industries — The  government  steel  works — The  Kawa- 
saki dockyards — A samurai  manager — Dreadnaughts  and  mer- 
chant vessels  on  the  stocks — The  steamship  lines — Great 
profits  from  war  orders  for  Russia  and  the  La  Follette 
shipping  law — From  debtor  to  creditor  nation — Cotton  spin- 
ning and  cotton  cloths — The  great  profits  and  the  workers  in 
the  factories — Great  pottery  works — How  American  capital 
may  find  investments  in  Japan — The  resident  foreigner  and 
j the  native  business  man. 

“There  is  a new  Japan,  the  Japan  of  industry  and  com- 
merce, pushing  for  success  in  manufacturing  and  marketing 
' at  first  hand  abroad.”  This  sentence  was  that  of  Baron 
Taka-akira  Kato,  then  Foreign  Minister  of  Japan,  in  the 
course  of  a long  talk  in  his  large  parlour  at  the  Foreign 
Office  in  Tokyo.  He  is  of  imposing  personality,  speaks 
English  perfectly,  and  is  one  of  the  most  distinguished  of 
Japanese  diplomats.  He  was  Foreign  Minister  as  far  back 
I as  1888  and  has  been  Minister  to  England,  Member  of 
^ Parliament  and  twice  again  Foreign  Minister  before  taking 
! up  the  Foreign  Portfolio  under  the  ministry  of  Count 
Okuma.  His  fall  from  power  and  place  to  take  up  the 
leadership  of  his  party  in  Parliament  when  the  Terauchi 
ministry  arrived  is  noted  elsewhere.  In  office  or  out  of  it, 
he  is  one  of  the  best  heads  in  Japan. 

I The  Baron  had  been  discussing  Japanese  relations  with 

the  United  States,  and  making  those  renewed  assurances 
, 299 


1 


300 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


of  good  will  to  our  country  which  are  the  basic  note  in  all 
such  conversations.  He  had  regretted  that  there  was  any 
troublesome  question  between  us  and  trusted  that  a way 
would  be  found — that  America  would  find  a way — to  treat 
Japanese  subjects  in  all  things  on  the  level  which  her 
treaties  called  for,  and  to  which  in  the  scale  of  nations 
and  the  pitch  of  civilization  they  were  surely  entitled.  He 
had  said  that  self-interest  in  Japan  called  for  the  olden 
friendship  with  the  United  States,  because  in  its  advance 
it  needed  that  fine  friendship  more  than  ever. 

“What  advance?”  I had  asked. 

“There  is  a new  Japan,  the  Japan  of  industry  and 
commerce,  pushing  for  success  in  manufacturing  and 
marketing  at  first  hand  abroad,”  he  answered. 

In  other  words  he  said:  Japan  is  going  in  for  big  busi- 
ness and  needs  peace  and  comity  to  work  out  her  destiny. 

And  it  is  this  sense  of  a new  economic  departure  that  I 
found  among  the  most  outstanding  things  in  Japan.  She 
has  been  arming  herself  in  schools  at  home  and  abroad  with 
the  weapons  of  learning;  she  has  been  studying  Western 
business  technique  at  the  busiest  of  the  great  cities.  New 
York,  Paris,  London,  Hamburg,  Berlin,  Vienna,  Barcelona. 
You  will  find  graduates  of  them  all  today  in  Tokyo  banks 
and  business  houses. 

Alongside  this  she  has  had  an  army  of  students  and 
workers  learning  the  minor  and  higher  secrets  of  manu- 
facture on  a large  scale  in  iron  and  steel,  cotton,  wool, 
silk,  pottery,  tobacco,  at  the  best  seats  of  those  industries 
all  over  the  working  world.  She  has  set  up  mills,  furnaces 
and  factories  of  all  kinds.  She  is  building  large  steel  ships, 
large  engines  and  dynamos;  in  fact  it  is  hard  to  recount 
the  variety  of  big  things  industrial  that  she  is  at  work 
upon,  either  in  full  operation  or  vigorously  attempting. 

Her  main  market,  too,  for  these  manufactured  products 
is  close  at  hand,  namely,  China,  India  and,  since  the  war 


JAPAN  AND  BIG  BUSINESS 


301 


began  making  its  tremendous  calls,  Siberia  and  Russia — a 
continent  almost  in  themselves.  For  these  new  and  large 
enterprises  she  lacked  sufficing  capital  at  the  time  of  the 
Kato  interview  and  where  else  should  she  look  for  it  than 
in  the  country  that  paid  her  so  many  millions  yearly  for 
her  raw  silk,  her  rice,  her  green  tea?  And  in  these  latter 
we  have  seen  how  strenuously  she  is  trying  to  enlarge 
her  output  and  better  her  qualities. 

Here  is  ambition,  clear  and  intelligible  in  its  direction 
and  intensity. 

One  remembers  how  recent  is  all  this  as  the  lives  of 
nations  go.  ItJ  seems  difficult  to  realize  that  up  to  sixty 
years  ago  she  was  a self-declared  hermit  nation.  A self- 
contained  unit,  practically  without  dealings  in  the  outside 
world.  What  foreign  commerce  she  had  was  carried  in 
foreign  bottoms  and  laid  down  at  her  doors.  She  was 
served,  as  it  were,  by  great  international  pedlars  who 
spread  out  their  packs  at  Yokohama  and  Kobe.  Now  she 
is  for  making  her  own  goods,  raising  or  buying  her  raw 
materials  and,  pack  on  back,  entering  the  race  for  trade. 

She  has  been  through  the  great  gruelling  of  foreign 
wars.  She  is  taking  big  business  for  her  own.  One  may 
be  a bit  sceptical  as  to  her  complete  mastery  of  all  the  moves 
on  the  business  ehessboard:  she  confesses  when  pushed 
that  she  does  not  quite  know  it  all,  but,  as  Horace  Greeley 
used  to  say  of  the  resumption  of  specie  payments  after  the 
Civil  War,  “the  way  to  resume  is  to  resume,”  and  she  is 
striking  out  boldly.  If  her  baggage  is  too  light  to  furnish 
her  with  all  the  raiment  necessary  she  can  get  what  she 
needs  en  route. 

Since  my  talk  with  Baron  Katot  the  big  war  has  come 
upon  the  world.  It  was  not  in  Japan’s  purview  nor  any- 
body’s outside  possibly  the  German  Kaiser’s;  but  her  being 
drawn  into  it  was  unwelcome  to  her  statesmen,  although 
the  extent  to  which  it  involved  her  was  limited  and  the 


302 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


opportunity  beyond  a great  one.  Her  operations  at  Kiao- 
chow  did  not  strain  her  greatly,  and  their  result  will  help 
her  in  greater  measure  by  giving  her  the  chance  to  take 
over  much  of  the  former  German  trade  in  China  to  herself. 

Parenthetically  I may  say  that  some  will  smile  at  my 
statement  that  Japan  had  no  foreshadowing  of  the  big 
war.  I find  in  my  diary  a rather  long  memorandum  of  a 
talk  I had  in  May,  1914,  with  Count  Okuma,  the  grand 
old  man  of  Japan,  at  his  spacious  home  in  Tokyo.  IVe 
were  discussing  the  contrast  of  riches  and  poverty  in 
various  countries.  He  was  fearing  that  Japan’s  happy 
condition  would  be  sadly  modified  in  the  great  race  for 
industrial  wealth. 

“Atop  of  that,”  said  he,  “we  have  to  maintain  a large 
army  and  navy  to  protect  ourselves  because  stronger  and 
I’icher  nations  of  Europe  and  America  are  now  increasing 
their  armaments  in  spite  of  peace  movements  and  humani- 
tarianism.  I do  not  know  why,  but  Germany  has  decided 
to  increase  its  already  enormous  army,  and  Russia  has  also 
recently  decided  to  make  provisions  for  bringing  5,000,000 
men  to  the  front  in  time  of  war.  What  is  your  idea  in 
the  United  States  of  increasing  your  navy  when  you  are 
so  rich  and  strong  already  ? If  it  is  a burden  on  rich  people 
like  you  it  is  ten  times  worse  for  a people  like  Japan.  How- 
ever, I think  the  time  is  fast  approaching  when  the  civilized 
nations  will  stop  this  absurd  competition.” 

Well,  there  was  an  answer  to  the  Count’s  conundrum  fast 
approaching,  which  was  anything  but  a peaceful  one.  The 
Count,  however,  had  unwittingly  laid  his  finger  on  the 
point  near  the  Rhine  where  the  war  initiative  would  lie. 

To  proceed.  In  my  travels  I had  more  than  a peep  at 
what  Japan  was  and  is  doing  in  the  way  of  promoting  big 
business  in  a land  of  the  smallest  retail  imaginable.  A 
visit  to  the  imperial  government  steel  works  at  Wakamatsu, 
on  the  coast  some  eight  miles  from  Moji  in  Kyiushu,  was 


JAPAN  AND  BIG  BUSINESS 


303 


illuminating.  Here  was  a great  plant  recalling  the  giant 
steel  and  iron  plants  of  the  old  world,  built  up  in  the 
space  of  some  thirty  years  from  nothing.  It  is  always  well 
to  remember  that  positive  absence  of  big  works  at  so  recent 
a date.  Its  advance  during  its  existence  has  been  gradual. 

Today  the  works  cover  350  acres  and  employ  9,000  work- 
men. The  town  of  Yawata,  of  45,000  inhabitants,  lives 
upon  it.  To  connect  its  various  shops,  mills  and  docks,  it 
has  fifty-eight  miles  of  narrow  gauge  railroad.  The  works 
are  exteriorly  imposing,  and  they  conduct  all  the 
processes  of  iron  and  steel  making  from  the  ore  to  the 
finished  product,  making  their  own  coke — 750  tons  a 
week — from  their  own  coal,  saving  and  working  over  the 
tar,  gas,  naphthaline  and  ammonia  sulphate;  making  be- 
sides their  own  electricity  from  their  own  dynamos.  The 
slag  from  their  iron  ore  they  make  into  bricks  and  archi- 
tectural forms.  They  could  build  you  a house  or  a factory 
of  steel  frame  and  slag  bricks  and  forms  without  going 
outside  their  boundaries. 

The  structures  include  blast  furnaces,  open  hearth, 
Bessemer  and  crucible  steel  furnaces,  rolling  mills,  rail 
mills,  bar  mills,  plate  mills,  sheet  mill,  galvanized  sheet 
mill,  wire  rod  and  wire  drawing  mills,  forging  plant, 
foundries,  pattern  shops,  electric  power,  lighting  and  so 
on.  They  drew  a charge  from  a blast  furnace  for  our 
benefit,  the  molten  iron  running  into  huge  buckets  to  be 
drawn  away  bj'  locomotives  as  soon  as  filled.  Then  a steel 
charge  was  drawn  elsewhere  running  into  ingots. 

We  tramped  through  rolling  mills,  plate  mills,  wire 
mills,  all  well  equipped,  all  manned  by  Japanese  all  work- 
ing at  speed.  It  is  surely  a busy  350  acres.  The  most  pic- 
turesque thing  we  saw  was  the  brickmaking.  Here  the 
machine  work  was  limited  to  the  pug  mill  and  grinding 
and  mixing  of  the  slag.  The  rest  was  hand  labour  done 
mostly  by  women. 


304 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


The  ratio  of  factory  female  labour  to  male  throughout 
Japan  is  sixty-five  to  thirty-five  per  cent. — two  to  one. 
Here  were  300  girls  at  work.  They  stood  waist-high  in  a 
brick-lined  trench  making  the  grey  bricks  by  hand.  It 
called  for  muscular  power,  but  the  girls — a good  looking 
lot — worked  with  vim  and  without  perceptible  strain. 
They  filled  the  wooden  moulds,  tamped  them,  smoothed  top 
and  bottom,  took  the  wet  bricks  on  their  flat  wooden  knives 
and  laid  them  on  boards  behind  them,  as  if  they  were 
sugar-coated  cakes.  Each  girl  makes  350  bricks  daily. 
Youths  carry  away  the  bricks  to  dry.  It  was  somehow  a 
cheering  sight  as  all  outdoor  labour  by  women  seemed  to 
me  in  Japan.  The  women  belonged  to  the  workmen’s 
families. 

The  yearly  output  of  steel  and  iron  product  is  consider- 
able— some  90,000  tons  of  pig  iron; — but  the  institution  has 
only  lately  come  to  working  profitably.  Skilled  labour  has 
been  hard  to  obtain,  but  the  natives  learn  quickly.  The 
novelty  of  it  may  be  guessed  from  the  fact  that  only 
government  backing  could  have  created  the  industry. 
There  it  is,  however,  efficient,  growing  and  to  grow.  The 
war  demand  for  steel  has  pushed  it  far  beyond  its  peace- 
time capacity. 

On  a different  basis,  and  promising  really  great  results, 
is  the  Hokaido  Steel  Works  at  Muroran,  in  w'hieh  the  great 
English  firm  of  Armstrong  & Vickers  have  taken  half  the 
capital  of  yen  15,000,000,  the  Mitsui  family  of  Japan  taking 
the  other  half.  There  big  guns  and  arms  are  manufactured 
with  a great  variety  of  other  steel  products. 

The  iron  sand  from  which  the  manufacture  is  largely 
conducted  and  the  coal  are  both  found  on  the  island.  The 
general  lack  of  iron  ore  in  Japan  is  a great  drawback,  but 
it  is  obtainable  from  China,  the  Imperial  Wakamatsu  Steel 
Works  having  a lease  of  the  famous  Taiya  (magnetite  iron) 
mines  in  China.  Iron  sand  and  iron  pyrites  abound,  and, 


JAPAN  AND  BIG  BUSINESS  305 

with  a certain  admixture  of  iron  ore,  the  iron  sand  is 
workable. 

On  a still  firmer  foundation  is  the  Kawasaki  Dock  Yard 
Company  at  Kobe,  which  has  been  a private  enterprise  from 
the  beginning  and  now  after  forty  years  of  existence  is 
building  types  of  the  largest  warships  and  merchantmen 
afloat  in  Japanese  waters,  paying  dividends  of  eight  per 
cent,  for  the  previous  five  years  and  six  per  cent,  on  its 
debentures.  It  is  not  the  largest  shipbuilding  interest  in 
Japan,  the  Mitsubishi  at  Nagasaki  being  perhaps  somewhat 
larger,  but  it  is  the  one  I happened  to  visit,  and  that,  I take 
it,  is  a good  excuse  for  particularizing  about  it  a bit. 

Its  works  cover  one  hundred  acres.  It  has  existed  under 
its  present  organization  since  1896,  and  is  a monument  to 
the  ability  of  its  manager,  Mr.  K.  Matsukata,  as  much  as  to 
anything  else,  and  is  remarkable  not  only  for  its  steel  ships 
but  for  its  locomotive  works,  bridge  and  girder  work  as 
well.  Real  progressiveness  is  the  history  of  a few  leading 
men  in  Japan  as  in  America.  Our  steel  industry  is  surely 
such:  Carnegie,  Frick,  Schwab,  Gary,  Farrell  and  a few 
others  made  it,  as  John  D.  Rockefeller,  his  brother  William 
and  his  associates,  John  D.  Archbold,  H.  M.  Flagler  and 
H.  H.  Rogers,  made  the  petroleum  business. 

Mr.  Matsukata  is  the  third  son  of  the  marquis  of  that 
name,  and  he  commanded  his  army  of  11,800  workmen  with 
a skill,  good  nature  and  capacity  for  work  that  none  of  his 
samurai  ancestors  could  surpass  in  their  narrower  field  of 
war.  He  looks  all  that  he  is,  an  intellectual,  open-minded, 
able-bodied  worker  of  middle  age.  Educated  as  a lawyer, 
he  came  to  the  dockyard  twenty-two  years  ago  on  legal 
business,  was  attracted  by  the  great  opportunity  to  do  and 
to  achieve,  and  most  of  the  time  since  he  has  been  at  the 
head  of  the  concern,  having  mastered  all  the  details  and 
studied  all  the  developments  of  the  business. 

It  was  really  a pleasure  to  have  his  company  on  our  tour 


306 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


of  the  great  shops  with  their  scores  of  great  overhead  cranes 
of  from  two  to  125  tons  lifting  capacity,  their  fine  up-to-date 
tools  whereby  high  tension  or  nickel  plates  six  feet  broad 
and  two  inches  thick  can  be  sheared  with  one  stroke,  steel 
plates  thirty-eight  feet  long  and  two  inches  thick  can  be 
planed  at  a stroke,  or  the  same  plate  can  be  bent.  And  so 
of  plate  punching,  straightening.  So  in  boring,  turning, 
riveting,  hanging,  drilling  and  what  not. 

It  had  five  shipbuilding  stocks  to  lay  keels  for  vessels  up 
to  35,000  tons,  floating  cranes  up  to  200  tons  capacity,  and 
all  the  accompaniments,  electrical  and  other,  of  a great 
modern  shipyard.  Up  to  a few  years  ago  it  got  no  farther 
than  gunboats  and  smaller  merchantmen,  but  of  late  it 
has  gone  further.  It  has  launched  the  Hurano,  a battle 
cruiser  of  27,000  tons,  and  at  the  time  of  my  visit  had  a 
superdreadnaught  of  30,000  tons  and  passenger  and  cargo 
steamers  up  to  12,000  tons  on  the  stocks. 

We  passed  through  some  of  the  shops  during  the  men’s 
dinner  hour,  and  it  was  a reminder  of  home  to  see  the 
Japanese  equivalent  of  the  dinner  can  in  the  same  lively 
action  with  work-stimulated  appetite.  The  manager  takes 
a lively  interest  in  his  men.  The  company  has  a free  night 
school  attended  by  1,500  of  the  men.  They  raise  at  once 
the  wages  of  young  men  who  pass  examination  in  the 
technics  of  the  business.  They  keep  a force  of  young  men 
studying  abroad — a good  thing,  for  the  works  as  weU  as 
the  students,  depend  upon  it.  They  pay  a bonus  prac- 
tically on  the  profit-sharing  plan  to  their  office  force  and 
chief  employees.  Here  was  a specimen  of  Yankee  energy 
in  an  Oriental  skin. 

As  the  railroads  of  Japan  are  nationalized — that  is,  , 
owned  and  run  by  the  government — they  are  outside  the 
scope  of  this  article.  The  mercantile  marine  is,  however, 
in  private  hands,  receiving,  in  its  foreign-going  bottoms, 
substantial  government  subsidy.  The  shipping  interest  of 


JAPAN  AND  BIG  BUSINESS 


307 


Japan  is  naturally  a very  large  one,  the  tonnage  for  the 
most  part  being  in  small  sailing  and  steam  craft  that  run 
into  the  hundreds  of  thousands  carrying  on  the  fishing  and 
short  transportation  on  the  coasts  and  between  the  hun- 
dreds of  islands  making  up  the  Empire.  In  the  larger 
trade,  however,  four  concerns  stand  out: 

The  Nippon  Yusen  Kaisha,  of  which  Baron  R.  Kondo 
is  the  president,  stands  at  the  head  with  eighty  large 
steamers  and  some  50,000  miles  of  service  in  coasting  and 
foreign  trade,  having  important  runs  on  the  European, 
American,  Yangtse-kiang,  Bombay,  Australian  and  South 
American  routes.  It  had  paid  ten  per  cent,  dividends 
for  years. 

The  Osaka  Shosen  Kaisha,  of  which  T.  Nakabashi  is 
president,  has  over  one  hundred  steamers,  mostly  of  mod- 
erate tonnage.  It  operates  mostly  in  Asiatic  home  waters 
between  Japanese  ports  and  to  Chinese,  Formosan  and 
Korean  ports,  wdth  a service  to  Tacoma  via  Shanghai  and 
Yokohama.  It  is  paying  eight  per  cent,  dividends. 

The  Toyo  Kisen  Kaisha,  of  which  S.  Asano  is  president, 
is  younger  than  the  other  two  concerns  named.  It  has 
run  since  1896  a splendid  fortnightly  service  between  San 
Francisco  and  Yokohama  via  Honolulu,  with  calls  at  other 
Japanese  and  Chinese  ports  to  Manila  with  steamers  of 
22,000  tons.  I sailed  to  the  Orient  and  returned  on  dif- 
ferent steamers  of  this  line,  and  can  testify  to  the  comfort 
and  courtesy  I experienced.  The  four  large  steamers  on 
this  route  were  then  the  favourites  for  the  valuable  raw  silk 
cargoes  which  are  the  apple  of  the  eye  of  Japan’s  indus- 
tries. Since  then,  one,  the  CJiio  Maru,  has  been  wrecked 
beyond  recovery  on  the  coast  of  China.  Their  chief  officers 
are  American,  but  one  gets  a pleasant  foretaste  of  Oriental 
life  in  their  Japanese  crews  and  Chinese  “boys.”  The 
company  has  a South  American  service  also. 

A sign  of  the  expanding  times  in  Japan  is  the  Toyo 


308 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


Kisen  Kaisha’s  undertaking  of  a dockyard  with  all  its  out- 
fittings  near  Yokohama. 

A fourth  but  in  a way  subsidiary  organization  is  the 
Japan-China  Steamship  Company,  in  which  the  Yusen  and 
Osaka  Shosen,  with  two  other  Japanese  companies,  hold 
shares.  It  has  a dozen  steamers  on  the  Yangtse  inland 
route  and  pays  six  per  cent,  dividends. 

Two  events,  the  American  or  La  Follette  shipping  law 
which  drove  our  trans-Pacific  shipping  off  the  seas,  and 
the  opening  of  the  Panama  Canal  gave  the  steamship 
industry  of  Japan  a sudden  uplift.  The  far-sighted  Mr. 
Asano  bought  all  available  steamers  of  large  capacity  in 
sight  for  the  Toyo  Kisen  Kaisha,  while  ordering  what  he 
could  get  from  the  home  shipyards.  Nor  were  the  Nippon 
Yusen  Kaisha  and  the  Osaka  line  asleep  to  their  great 
chance.  Then  came  the  great  impetus  given  to  Japan 
through  all  its  commercial  and  industrial  fibres  by  the 
world-war.  Russia  called  loudly  for  all  the  guns  and 
munitions,  textiles  and  foodstuffs  that  under  the  highest 
pressure  could  be  produced,  giving  almost  any  price  for 
them.  The  people  responded,  and  Japan  in  two  years 
reaped  a reward  of  great  richness  for  the  industrial  prep- 
aration she  had  made  with  consummate  foresight.  Great 
profits  ensued.  Enterprise  was  given  a mighty  fillip,  and 
huge  fortunes  rolled  up.  The  Narikin  or  Get-Rich-Quick 
man  was  born  to  Japan  and  the  nation  passed  out  of  the 
debtor  class. 

Every  shipyard  in  Japan  is  working  and  expanding  and 
wages  rising.  The  submarine  war  of  Germany  has  its 
echoes  over  there.  Germany  will  face  when  the  war  is 
over  two  enormously  advanced  mercantile  marines — 
America’s  and  Japan’s. 

Of  the  highest  promise,  is  the  cotton  spinning  and 
weaving  industry.  It  is  only  in  the  last  twelve  years  that 
Japan  has  taken  up  the  spinning  of  finer  yarns  and  weav- 


JAPAN  AND  BIG  BUSINESS 


309 


ing  of  finer  fabrics.  Before  that  time  a widespread  home 
industry  and  a coarse  cloth  factory  industry  supplied  the 
home  demand  and  exported  to  China,  Korea  and  the  South 
Seas,  finer  cloths  being  all  imported.  Now,  however,  thirty 
and  more  large  cotton  mills  are  making  better  and  more 
uniform  grades,  operating  2,000,000  spindles  and  using 
about  1,000,000  bales  of  cotton.  The  industry  is  immensely 
profitable,  earnings  up  to  thirty  per  cent,  being  constantly 
reported. 

Cheap  and  abundant  female  labour  accounts  for  much  of 
this.  I paid  a visit  to  the  Kobe  mills  of  the  Kanegafuehi 
Spinning  Company.  It  is  a spacious  place  with  many  mills 
for  spinning  cotton  yarns  and  threads  and  weaving  varie- 
ties of  cotton  cloth.  It  employs  6,500  operatives,  and  the 
company,  including  its  Tokyo  mills,  has  a total  of  22,500 
workers.  The  mills  were  all  scrupulously  clean  and  a fine 
sanitary  and  ventilating  system  is  in  force.  The  machinery 
is  quite  modern,  and  the  shops  are  large  and  not  crowded. 
System  pervades  everything,  and  the  products,  so  far  as  I 
examined  them,  seemed  of  standard  qualities. 

The  operativesi  ranged  from  young  girls  of  thirteen  at 
lighter  tasks  and  shorter  hours  to  young  women  of  twenty- 
three  or  twenty-four.  They  have  rooms  in  which  to  change 
their  garments  before  entering  the  working  part  of  the 
mills.  No  girl  seemed  to  have  more  spindles  to  attend  to 
than  she  could  serve  with  ease,  but  the  hours  are  long.  In 
most  mills  work  is  practically  continuous,  a night  force 
and  a day  force  changing  ranks  at  intervals.  The  company 
has  large  airy  dormitories  and  vast  spotless  refectories.  All 
the  women  workers  are  boarded  and  lodged  by  the  com- 
pany. Indeed,  there  seemed  no  end  of  the  welfare  work, 
all  sorts  of  leagues  for  sick  benefits,  schools  of  many  kinds, 
lectures,  nurseries,  recreation  halls. 

We  went  down  to  the  beach,  a quarter  of  a mile  away, 
and  saw  a hundred  or  so  of  the  younger  girls  splashing  to 


310 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


their  heart’s  content  in  the  green  sea  water,  having  a fine 
time.  The  girls,  it  seems,  do  not  work  in  the  factories  for 
more  than  three  or  four  years.  The  pressure  must  be 
pretty  great  and  the  desire  for  a freer  life  becomes  irre- 
sistible. No  matter  how  well  guarded  they  may  be,  no 
matter  how  much  care  may  be  taken  of  their  health  and 
their  morals,  they  long  to  be  “back  on  the  farm.”  The 
supply  does  not,  however,  seem  to  fall  off,  as  the  workers 
who  survive  generally  go  home  with  money  saved,  and  a 
little  goes  a long  way  in  rural  Japan. 

On  the  whole,  however,  the  system  leaves  much  to  be 
desired.  It  was  surely  corporate  greed  which  in  peace-time 
made  all-night  work  take  up  half  the  women’s  time  in  a 
year.  It  doubled  the  capacity  of  the  plant  but  it  halved 
the  vitality  of  the  workers.  No  sophistry  can  overset  that. 
The  dormitories  did  double  work  like  the  machines.  No 
chance  to  really  air  either  the  mills  or  the  sleeping  rooms. 
No  wonder  tubercular  disease  lifted  its  hideous  white  face 
of  sunken  cheeks,  though  these  were  not  paraded.  And 
the  wage  is  so  small  that  an  American  or  even  an  English 
factory  hand,  even  a French  or  German  worker  would 
laugh  it  to  scorn.  Bub  when  a corporation  wants  thirty 
per  cent.! 

Pottery  is  another  industry  with  a growing  future,  not 
the  fine  artistic  things  that  collectors  value,  and  which, 
despite  all  croakers  to  the  contrary,  will  continue  to  be 
produced  in  Japan  by  a devoted  few  about  as  they  were 
in  the  past.  The  models  of  Arnold  Bennett’s  Five  Towns 
will  generally  be  followed.  I visited  small  factories  in 
Osaka,  where  one  could  well  imagine  the  novelist’s  stodgy 
characters  at  work  turning  out  their  stint  of  product  amid 
dusty,  ill-kempt  surroundings — things  for  the  common 
market  done  in  a common  way. 

At  Nagoya,  on  the  other  hand,  I went  through  the  large 
Morimura  porcelain  factory,  where  2,500  hands  are  em- 


2 i’R'rr/v  SPECIE  BANK 

f HAYAKAWA,  of  the  MITSUI  BANK 

4. '  baron  OKU^'‘'pH^LA%r  *‘'^‘‘''''0  HOU 

5.  MR.  s.  ASA^O.^;  TH  o'^^rSE^'KAI^HT'*^  '■■ 

6.  baron  E.  SHIBUSAM  A,  a OREAT^^AP^Er  CAPITAUIST 


PROGRESS 


JAPAN  AND  BIG  BUSINESS 


311 


ployed,  who  work  from  6 a.m.  to  6.30  p.m.,  with  time  for 
meals.  Perhaps  half  are  young  women.  We  were  shown 
the  entire  process  from  the  puddling  of  the  kaolin  or 
porcelain  clay  through  the  shaping  and  wheelwork  and  the 
baking,  glazing  and  painting.  The  shops  are  large  and 
airy,  and  there  is  an  American  air  of  briskness  not  usually 
visible  in  the  crafts  work  of  Japan. 

A large  part  of  their  business  is  of  the  smaller  order  of 
things  for  the  cheaper  grades  of  porcelain.  One  order 
amused  me,  namely,  1,400  eases  of  cups  and  saucers  for  700 
“ten  cent  stores”  in  the  United  States.  Each  ease  contains 
300.  So  that  these  enterprising  merchants  of  Uncle  Sam 
account  for  420,000  cups  and  saucers  from  Nagoya  every 
year.  What  a mighty  flood  of  gossip  over  the  ten-cent  tea 
cups  this  fact  prefigures!  They  have  a large  trade  with 
England  also  in  like  ware  and  competed  successfully  with 
Germany. 

Modern  English  shaping  machinery  is  used  on  a great 
scale.  In  the  painting  department  I saw  one  hundred  men, 
youths  and  girls  painting  by  hand  for  the  firm.  Designs 
are  furnished  by  special  artists.  These  are  outlined  in 
black  on  paper  for  them  and  the  patterns  are  applied  over 
the  plaque,  plate,  cup  or  vase,  w’etted  and  taken  off  leaving 
the  design  outlined  on  the  object.  The  colour  artist  then 
paints  on  the  design  in  colours,  sometimes  varying  it  a 
little.  Some  of  the  plaques  were  excellent. 

We  also  saw  the  hollow  casting  in  dry  plaster  moulds. 
A fluid  mixture  of  kaolin  and  water  is  poured  into  the  dry 
mould,  which  absorbs  the  water  and  attracts  the  kaolin, 
which  settles  in  a thin  flake  on  the  mould.  The  water  is 
poured  off,  and  mould  and  all  put  in  the  oven  and  baked. 

There  is  a large  dining  hall  for  the  workers.  The 
Satsuma  ware  is  in  another  class. 

It  becomes  obvious  to  the  observer  that  in  all  businesses 
where  the  raw  material  is  freely  obtainable  and  the  climatic 


312 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


and  other  conditions  are  favourable,  Japan  will  more  and 
more  tend  to  larger  units  of  manufacture.  It  is  demanded 
alike  by  the  energy  and  ambition  of  Japan.  * The  great 
advance  by  Germany  as  wholesale  manufacturer  and 
exporter  since  1870  is  pointed  to  out  there  as  Japan’s 
exemplar. 

It  is  notable  that  the  importance  of  the  Asiatic  con- 
tinent as  a trading  ground  for  Japan  has  grown  in  the 
last  few  years.  In  1882  Europe  stood  at  the  head,  with 
Asia  and  America  following.  In  1899  it  was  found  that 
these  conditions  had  been  reversed,  and  Asia  came  first 
in  exports,  followed  by  America  and  Europe,  while  in 
imports  Asia  was  also  first,  but  Europe  preceded  America. 
The  Asiatic  lead  has  been  strengthened  of  late  years  in 
China  and  British  India  as  well. 

Another  notable  thing  is  the  cleverness  and  push  of 
Japanese  trading  agents  in  these  countries,  where  they 
clashed  continually  with  the  German  traders,  who  literally 
swarmed  all  over  Asia.  The  hold  of  England  in  these 
markets  is  very  strong  and  comparatively  ancient,  hence 
a rather  haughty  indifference  to  the  newcomers,  including 
a few  Americans,  who  have  been  looking  somewhat  into  the 
old  fields  once  exclusively  supplied  by  Great  Britain.  Too 
much  tiffin,  tennis  and  golf,  and  easy-going  methods  by 
the  English  have  given  a chance  to  the  livelier  peoples. 
France ’s  share  has  not  varied  much ; her  wares  are  so  much 
her  very  own. 

Japan’s  push  for  this  Asiatic  trade  naturally  competes 
with  American  goods — cotton  cloths  particularly — among 
the  rest,  but  American  capital  can  take  its  share  and 
welcome,  as  it  was  explained  to  me,  by  combining  with 
the  Japanese  corporations.  They  have  great  advantages  in 
the  low  wages  of  Asia — while  they  remain  low.  It  is  not 
of  course  to  be  assumed  that  mere  lowness  of  wage  is  all : 
efficiency  counts  for  a great  deal.  What  strikes  me,  how* 


JAPAN  AND  BIG  BUSINESS 


313 


ever,  in  the  matter  of  investments  is  that  they  are  safest 
when  made  by  those  who  best  know  the  conditions  of  the 
business  looking  for  capital.  I mean  that  the  people  to 
whom  the  cotton  propositions,  steel  propositions,  electric 
or  machinery  propositions  should  first  commend  themselves 
are  the  men  of  like  industries  in  America. 

Many  of  these  invitations  are  distinctly  worth  while.  In 
a talk  with  Viscount  Mishima,  Governor  of  the  Bank  of 
Japan,  in  my  interview  with  Count  Okuma,  the  Premier, 
and  in  talks  with  Baron  Shibusawa,  at  once  perhaps  the 
richest  trader  and  most  enterprising  man  in  Japan,  with 
Mr.  Hayakawa,  director  of  the  Mitsui  bank,  I detected  one 
note,  namely,  that  American  investments  in  well-grounded 
Japanese  enterprises  would  work  as  potent  factors  in  the 
much  to  be  desired  good  understanding  between  the  two 
countries.  They  dwelt  upon  the  idea  of  community  of 
interests  from  many  viewpoints,  but  always  with  the  idea 
of  consolidating  international  friendship.  Not  one  of  them 
pointed  out  any  special  interest  to  recommend  to  my 
countrymen  for  investment,  but  Mr.  Hayakawa  pointed  to 
several  eases  in  which  satisfaction  and  mutual  benefit  had 
followed  the  investment  of  American  and  English  brains 
and  money  into  Japanese  concerns. 

One  was  the  entrance  of  Armstrong  & Vickers  into  the 
Muroran  steel  concern  already  referred  to.  Another  case 
was  that  of  the  Shibakura  Engineering  Works,  near  Tokyo, 
for  supplying  electric  light  and  power,  in  which  the 
American  General  Electric  Company  had  taken  half  the 
capital  with  immense  advantage  to  all.  The  Osaka  Gas 
Works  was  owned  largely  by  American  capital.  The  Fuji 
Company  and  others  were  mentioned.  The  paper  com- 
panies using  wood  pulp  by  doubling  their  capital  had 
profited  greatly,  the  Oji  Paper  Mill  going  from  yen 
6,000,000  to  yen  12,000,000  and  doing  a splendid  business. 

China,  Manchuria,  Korea  stood  open  for  exploitation. 


314 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


Many  attempts  to  do  business  in  Japan  had  been  failures, 
Mr.  Hayakawa  said,  through  foreigners  taking  important 
proposals  to  people  of  no  real  standing  in  the  Japanese 
business  world.  Disappointments  often  followed  fine  and 
liberal  offers  from  abroad  because  the  Japanese  men  who 
were  consulted  could  not  in  the  expressive  commercial 
language  “swing”  the  proposition.  They  wore  out  the 
patience  of  the  foreigner  by  dilatory  tactics  w'hile  they 
sought  support  in  all  quarters  ta  carry  out  their  end  of 
the  bargain,  finally  abandoning  it  on  an  excuse — not  the 
real  one — to  the  disgust  of  the  would-be  investor.  Prob- 
ably the  foreigner  departed  cured  of  his  desire  to  invest  in 
Japan,  when  a call  in  the  proper  quarter  might  have 
resulted  far  otherwise. 

Mr.  Buyei  Nakano,  president  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce of  Tokyo,  who  is  in  touch  with  all  sound  business 
in  the  Island  Empire,  is  the  sort  of  man  to  give  or  get 
information  on  all  such  points.  It  is  his  business,  and  he 
carries  into  it  a fund  of  courtesy  and  good  nature  that 
I,  for  one,  never  found  to  fail.  Japan’s  chief  cities  spe- 
cialize in  statistics  of  the  openest  kind,  but  foreigners 
neglect  them,  relying  often  on  the  report  of  fellow  country- 
men who  are  not  looking  for  rivals  in  their  own  fields. 

From  all  the  foregoing  I deduce  this  conclusion  as  very 
plain  to  me,  that  Japan  offers  a field  to  American  capital 
and  enterprise,  those  enterprises  prospering  best  where 
American  skill  goes  with  American  money.  Japan’s  con- 
fidence in  its  own  industrial  skill  is  too  recent  to  be  entirely 
well  founded;  it  still  needs  some  guidance  though  it  may 
not  think  so.  It  has  now  a volume  of  capital  that  it  did 
not  dream  to  possess  five  years  ago,  but  co-operation  is 
the  thing  desired — brains  and  money  with  money  and 
brains. 

Why,  one  may  ask,  is  not  such  a movement  led  by 
Ikhe  foreign  business  men — American  and  European — in 


JAPAN  AND  BIG  BUSINESS 


315 


Japan?  The  answer  is  that  some  foreign  merchants  and 
manufacturers  of  small  calibre  have  found  their  profit  in 
joLzing  forces  with  native  business  men.  But  in  the  main 
the  foreigner  in  business  holds  himself  apart  from  the 
Japanese.  An  old  sense  of  something  like  amour-propre 
I discovered  among  them.  It  reached  back  to  the  modern 
beginnings  of  foreign  business  with  Japan.  The  first  crop 
of  resident  foreign  dealers  camped  at  Kobe  or  Yokohama 
or  Nagasaki  felt  themselves  immeasurably  above  the  native 
traders,  who  scarcely  knew  the  A B C of  exchange.  To 
the  unscrupulous,  the  freebooting,  the  Jeremy  Diddlers 
among  the  foreign  group  with  their  wonderful  deceptive 
“confidence”  yarns  the  Japanese  lent  a ready  ear.  From 
such  contact  with  these  scabious  gentry  grew  the  stories 
that  we  hear  of  ordinary  wine  bottles  sold  for  costly  curios 
at  outrageous  prices — $10  to  $50,  even,  it  is  said,  $500  for 
fancy  liqueur  bottles  worth  at  the  outside  ten  cents. 
These,  ensconced  in  pearl-inlaid  and  lacquered  cabinets  of 
Japanese  lords,  bought  at  another  advance  from  the  native 
dealers,  made  later  an  indictment  against  the  foreign 
trader.  Consequently,  the  honest  traders  of  responsible 
houses  found  themselves  met  by  every  grade  of  suspicion, 
and  a super-prudence  that  made  business  difficult  and  full 
of  friction.  And  the  native  traders,  believing  to  the  depth 
of  their  immortal  souls  that  there  would  be  merit  in 
“doing”  the  deceptive  foreigner,  it  became  a contest  of 
sharp  wits. 

Later,  the  foreigners  “put  over”  another  on  the  still 
really  uninformed  Japanese  based  on  the  lower  parity  of 
gold  and  silver  in  Japan.  The  Japanese  did  not  waken  to 
their  need  of  conforming  their  ratio  of  silver  to  gold  to 
that  of  the  rest  of  the  world  until  the  yellow  metal  seemed 
about  to  take  its  flight  altogether  from  the  Land  of  the 
Rising  Sun.  In  this  the  best  of  the  foreigners  could  not 
forbear  taking  a hand.  So  we  had  here  a situation  not 


316 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


making  for  a sense  of  business  brotherhood.  Business  had, 
however,  to  he  done,  and  a modus  was  reached  at  last 
between  the  best  of  the  foreign  traders  and  the  best  of 
the  native  merchants  which  functioned  fairly  well.  It  was 
and  remains  a self-respecting  and  deliberate  method  giving 
mutual  credit  for  substantial  honesty.  It  did  not  and  does 
not  unfortunately  call  for  any  marked  interchange  of 
social  amenities.  I have  sketched  in  earlier  chapters  the 
factors  of  language  and  custom  that  tend  to  keep  resident 
foreigners  and  natives  apart,  but  with  the  growth  of  the 
foreign  communities  another  influence  entered,  namely,  the 
importation  and  use  of  the  games,  gatherings  and  insti- 
tutions— clubs,  charities,  concerts,  amateur  theatricals  and 
so  on  of  the  older  world.  A foreign  lady  or  a business 
man  in  Yokohama  has  local  interests  that  take  up  time 
and  energy  outside  of  business  of  the  same  nature  that 
prevails  in  the  homeland.  This  seals  the  separateness.  I 
was  lunched  and  dined  in  that  busy  burg  by  Americans 
without  a single  Japanese  being  present,  and  when  the 
affable  mayor,  Mr.  Ando,  entertained  me  at  lunch  the 
contrariwise  was  the  fact. 

Meanwhile  the  Japanese  had  not  been  idle  in  learning 
the  ways  of  foreign  trade.  In  Baron  Okura’s  business 
school  and  the  high  school  a race  of  young  business  men 
was  educated  who  took  their  places  later  in  mart  and 
counting  house  and  that  asked  no  odds  of  anybody  in 
conducting  trade.  They  soon  perceived  that  the  foreign 
middlemen  were  not  always  a necessity,  and  began  reaching 
out  for  direct  relations  with  foreign  producers  and  manu- 
facturers. And,  as  a last  stab  at  the  foreign  trader,  they 
began  establishing  Japanese  agencies  and  branches  abroad 
until  nowadays  the  great  Japanese  houses  do  much  of  their 
own  work  all  over  the  world.  To  the  foreigners  in  Japan 
this  has  brought  many  changes.  Agencies  took  the  place 
of  general  commission  houses  in  many  businesses,  and  the 


JAPAN  AND  BIG  BUSINESS 


317 


foreigner  in  the  ports  resented  it  all  in  a dull,  grey  spirit. 
A significant  thing  is  that  the  wiser  foreign  merchants  in 
Yokohama  are  opening  branches  in  Tokyo.  When,  there- 
fore, one  hears  the  long-resident  foreigner  in  Yokohama  or 
Kobe  inveigh  among  his  own  countrymen  against  Japanese 
men  and  Japanese  ways,  you  have  in  great  part  a summary 
of  Japanese  business  progress  more  than  anything  else. 
Still,  trade  is  trade  and  if  the  twenty  and  thirty-year  resi- 
dents are  not  likely  to  be  first  in  reaching  out  for  full 
co-operation  with  the  Japanese  they  will  follow  when  the 
impulse  comes  from  their  homelands. 

Japan  desires  American  friendship  on  a footing  of 
mutual  trust  and  support  in  matters  outside  treaties  and 
formal  professions  of  amity.  Her  desire  in  this  reaches 
the  pathos  of  a passion  for  recognition  of  her  good  faith 
in  calling  us  her  friend.  She  looks  to  a futur#  of  growing 
acquaintanceship.  The  leading  place  she  took  at  the  San 
Francisco  fair  was  really  a demonstration  of  this,  but  most 
she  hopes  for  an  influx  of  visitors  to  Japan  with  eyes  open 
to  opportunities  and  seeking  information  at  the  fountain 
head. 

The  future  of  her  export  trade  in  manufactures  lies 
largely  in  China,  India,  Korea,  just  as  she  hopes  for  larger 
custom  still  for  her  staples  in  the  United  States.  As  these 
wishes  are  gratified,  her  leading  men  aver,  will  the  clear 
purpose  of  her  own  conception  of  her  mission  remove  the 
last  vestige  of  distrust  of  her  in  the  land  of  the  common 
people — democratic  America;  for  the  Japanese  while  im- 
perial in  government  are,  as  I have  indicated,  the  most 
democratic  of  peoples. 


CHAPTER  XXI 


JAPAN’S  FINANCE  AND  BANKING 

Only  fifty  years  of  real  banking — In  the  Bank  of  Japan — The 
nation’s  finances — Remarkable  specialization — Cashier  for  the 
government — Revenues  and  expenditure  and  national  debt — 
The  banking  system — An  early  American  model  rejected  after 
a time — Great  work  of  the  Yokohama  Specie  Bank — The 
Hypothec  Agricultural  and  Industrial  Banks — Colonial  banks, 
Ordinary  banks,  Savings  institutions — Thirteen  million  postal 
savings  depositors — Insurance — The  currency — Gold  basis — 
War  profits. 

Japan’s  finances  after  a long  period  of  struggle  have 
entered  since  a year  or  so  after  the  outbreak  of  the  great 
war  on  a golden  period.  Profits  of  enormous  amount  have 
poured  in  upon  her,  consequent  on  her  activities  in  sup- 
plying Russia  with  munitions  of  war,  foodstuffs  and 
textiles.  It  has  been  literally  golden  reward,  for  her 
bankers  have  reached  out  for  all  the  actual  gold  they  could 
obtain,  which  is  on  the  whole  questionable  policy  in  the 
long  run.  Her  bankers,  however,  are  able  men.  If  their 
minor  methods  seem  a bit  antiquated,  they  only  seem  so 
from  the  standpoint  of  a banking  world  making  rapid 
changes  to  meet  the  increased  impetus  of  modern  business. 
When  Japan  first  came  into  the  bank  parlour  about  fifty 
years  ago  she  entered  with  something  of  awe  and  carrying 
her  little  Chinese  abacus  or  counting-frame,  with  buttons 
sliding  on  wires,  under  her  arm.  Now,  nothing  in  the 
world  is  much  prouder  than  a bank  president.  His  respect 
for  the  bank  is  a serious  something  that  he  impresses  on 

318 


JAPAN’S  FINANCE  AND  BANKING 


319 


others  so  that  his  institution  may  live,  for  it  is  built  upon 
confidence:  it  implies  safety,  and  these  things  are  worthy 
of  respect  where  the  handling  of  money  is  concerned.  In 
a word  Japan  has  so  respected  the  methods  she  found  in 
use  as  she  learned  the  art  and  science  of  banking  from  these 
proud,  fixed-looking  persons  of  fifty  years  ago  that  she  has 
clung  to  them  a little  too  religiously  ever  since.  Under 
the  pressure  now  coming  upon  her  she  will  doubtless  move 
as  the  bankers  of  America  and  the  rest  of  the  world  have 
moved  to  swifter  methods.  Japan  has  had  one  tremendous 
advantage  over  all  other  nations  of  learners  in  the  modern 
world;  she  was  bred  to  system.  This  means  that  organiz- 
ing comes  as  a second  nature  to  her.  If  her  money  traders 
took  to  banking  be  sure  they  went  to  the  roots  of  the  science 
and  built  rapidly  according  to  their  lights.  With  the 
externals  it  is  the  same.  Their  important  bank  buildings 
are  impressive  structures  entirely  on  European  and  Ameri- 
can models.  The  Bank  of  Japan  stands  on  an  eminence  in 
the  modern  business  centre  of  Tokyo.  It  is  built  of  white 
stone,  massive  as  to  its  lofty  lower  story  and  pillared  as 
to  its  upper  stories,  and  it  looks  as  if  it  might  have  been 
taken  bodily  from  London,  Paris  or  New  York,  and  set  up 
facing  the  imperial  palace  across  the  wide  moat.  Within 
as  befits  the  central  home  of  the  nation’s  money,  it  has  all 
the  dignity  and  spaciousness  and  glory  of  tiled  floor, 
marble  counter,  plate  glass  and  tellers’  wickets  that  such 
a counting  house  interior  should  possess.  Its  president’s 
room,  its  directors’  rooms,  its  shareholders’  hall,  its 
parlours,  its  library  are  of  the  best  and  stateliest,  and  it 
can  furnish  forth  in  a special  dining  room  a luncheon  that 
would  put  the  Cafe  Riche  in  its  best  old  days  to  its  trumps. 
Its  vaults  are  models  of  system  and  strength.  Its  ways  are 
sure  if  slow : its  force  is  numerous  and  trained  highly,  but 
moves  with  a deliberation  that  seems  hieratic  beside  our 
quick-acting  bank  men.  Systems  of  checks  and  balances 


320 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


abound,  but  they  function  effectively.  To  the  last  man  all 
employees  and  directors  are  Japanese. 

And  the  same  is  true  of  all  the  other  great  banks,  the 
Yokohama  Specie  Bank,  the  Hypothec  Bank,  the  Industrial 
Bank  and  the  like.  What  business  all  these  banks  do  and 
the  others  that  make  up  the  formidable  banking  total  of 
Japan  will  be  dealt  with  farther  on  in  this  chapter.  They 
all  form  a system  variously  inter-related  and  highly  spe- 
cialized, and  all  are  increasing  in  their  turn-over. 

May  I just  for  a moment  put  a blotting  finger  on  a most 
absurd  story  that  one  meets  everywhere,  doubtless  started 
years  ago  by  some  malicious  pro-Chinese  foreigner  of  the 
kind  I have  described  elsewhere  seeking  to  say  something 
hurtful  to  Japanese  credit  and  self-respect.  I allude  to 
the  Chinese-cashier  story,  which  is  generally  put  in  these 
terms:  “The  Japanese  may  be  a smart  people,  but  how  is 
it  they  are  obliged  to  have  Chinese  cashiers  handle  their 
money  in  every  bank  in  Japan?  They  say  that  they  cannot 
trust  the  honesty  of  their  own  people.  Is  that  so?” — the 
answer  is  that  it  is  simply  and  absolutely  untrue,  though  it 
persists.  There  are  no  Chinese  employees  in  the  banks  of 
Japan.  What,  at  any  time,  gave  colour  to  the  story,  and 
stamps  it  as  to  its  origin  is  that  in  the  Chinese  branches  of 
Japanese  banks,  in  Shanghai,  Peking,  Hankow,  for  in- 
stance, a Chinese  tgller  was  often  employed  to  deal  in  their 
own  vernacular  with  native  Chinese  customers.  I came 
across  one  such  in  the  Peking  branch  of  the  Yokohama 
Specie  Bank — a big  Manehu  who  spoke  half  a dozen 
Chinese  dialects,  and  functioned  with  an  abacus  as  he 
ladled  out  cash  in  silver  mostly  to  small  customers.  Since 
the  starting  of  the  story  it  has  operated  to  the  ousting  of 
all  such  Chinese  that  could  be  spared  from  the  branches  in 
China.  Thus  does  malice  hurt  even  its  friends.  It  is  about 
time  for  the  story  to  disappear. 

The  personality  of  the  heads  of  the  Bank  of  Japan  iin« 


JAPAN’S  FINANCE  AND  BANKING 


321 


pressed  me  strongly.  The  governor  or  president,  Viscount 
Mishima,  a strong  man  in  his  late  forties  of  what  I might 
without  offence  call  a German  type,  had  a fine  banking 
history,  having  graduated  from  the  presidency  of  the 
Yokohama  Specie  Bank.  The  previous  president,  Baron 
Takahashi,  a man  of  sixty,  was,  however,  more  of  the  typical 
banker.  At  any  rate  he  expressed  himself  with  singular 
penetration  and  wideness  of  view  on  banking  questions. 
He  had  left  the  governorship  in  1911  to  take  the  post  of 
Finance  Minister.  Mr.  K.  Mizumachi  the  vice  president  was 
evidently  a trained  worker,  and  so  it  proved,  having  been 
concerned  in  the  higher  economics  at  home  and  abroad  for 
twenty-five  years. 

The  national  finances  rest  on  the  industrial  productive- 
ness of  a people  singularly  loyal,  industrious  and  frugal. 
While  the  population  of  the  Empire  has  been  largely  in- 
creased dui’ing  the  last  twenty-two  years  by  territorial 
additions — Chosen  (Korea),  Taiwan  (Formosa)  and  Kara- 
futo  (Saghalien)  to  a total  of  76,000,000,  the  burden  of 
taxation  necessarily  rests  in  the  major  degree  upon  the 
nearly  56,000,000  souls  of  Japan  Proper,  as  computed  of 
June,  1917.  Taxation  under  the  feudal  rule  of  many 
centuries  had  been  a fine  art,  in  its  searching  imposition 
and  scrupulous  collection,  but  it  was  scarcely  a national 
system  in  the  modern  sense.  With  the  Restoration  of  1868 
under  the  Meiji  Emperor  an  attempt  was  at  once  made  to 
establish  such  a system,  but  the  plan  was  extremely  com- 
plicated and  largely  failed  of  its  object.  The  division  of 
the  territory  into  prefectures  in  1871,  and  the  setting  up 
of  prefectural  governments  made  easier  the  work  of  finan- 
cial unifaction,  which  was  gradually  perfected  in  the 
course  of  the  next  few  years.  In  1880  the  Board  of  Audit 
was  created,  but  it  found  many  difficulties  in  carrying  out 
its  work  before  1882  when  the  Law  of  Finance  was  first 
uniformly  enforced,  with  the  result  that  the  sole  control 


322 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


of  financial  matters  was  vested  in  the  Treasury  and  all 
irregularities  in  the  receiving  and  dispensing  of  public 
moneys  were  entirely  removed.  In  the  same  year  the  Bank 
.of  Japan  was  created  and  practically  made  the  cashier  for 
the  government.  Since  1886  budgets  and  settled  accounts 
have  been  made  public  every  year.  This  was  real  progress. 
On  the  promulgation  of  the  imperial  constitution  in  1889 
the  Law  of  Finance  was  amended,  and  the  financial  system 
assumed  its  present  form. 

Thus  the  budget,  compiled  by  the  Minister  of  Finance 
must  be  presented  to  the  Diet  for  its  approval  before  it  is 
carried  into  effect.  The  settled  accounts  must  also  be  so 
presented  after  passing  through  the  hands  of  the  Board 
of  Audit.  The  fiscal  year  runs  from  the  first  of  April  in 
one  year  to  the  end  of  March  of  the  next  year.  The 
Department  of  Finance  was  established  in  1869,  but  its 
organization  was  greatly  improved  under  the  new  organi- 
zation in  1886.  There  are  eight  revenue  superintending 
offices,  controlling  four  hundred  revenue  offices  scattered 
through  the  country.  There  are  besides  six  custom  houses 
with  thirty-seven  branches  and  forty-eight  observation 
posts  engaged  in  the  revenue  service  in  connection  with 
foreign  trade.  The  financial  administrations  of  Korea  and 
Formosa  differ  somewhat  from  those  in  Japan. 

The  national  finance  accounts  are  dmded  for  con- 
venience into  two  classes — general  and  special.  The  taxes 
are  the  most  important  sources  of  national  revenue — about 
sixty-five  per  cent,  of  the  ordinary  revenue — and  include 
land  tax,  liquor  tax,  as  the  most  important  items,  as  well 
as  customs  duties,  income  tax,  business  tax,  textile  con- 
sumption tax  and  sugar  excise.  As  showing  the  factor 
of  growth  it  may  be  well  to  compare  the  revenue  from  taxes 
in  some  of  the  items  in  1900-01  with  those  of  the  year 
1917-18,  that  is  of  March  31  of  this  year,  set  down  in  yen, 
which  coin  may  be  roughly  counted  at  half  a dollar : 


JAPAN’S  FINANCE  AND  BANKING 


323 


1900-01  1917-18 

Land  Tax 46,717,797  72,815,747 

Income  Tax 6,368,039  36,880,640 

Tax  on  Liquors 50,450,485  89,874,723 

Customs  Duties 17,009,815  31,653,908 


The  total  from  taxes  1900-01  was  yen  133,926,095  against 
yen  320,434,489  for  1917-18. 

Going  to  make  up  the  sources  of  ordinary  revenue  out- 
side the  taxes  are  stamp  receipts,  public  undertakings  and 
state  property,  postal,  telegraph,  telephone  services,  forests 
and  the  profits  of  the  three  state  monopolies,  tobacco,  salt 
and  camphor,  making  a total  of  ordinary  revenue  of  yen 
557,379,584. 

Extraordinary  sources  of  revenue  totalling  yen  157,- 
154,443  included  sales  of  state  property,  Chinese  indemnity 
and  public  loans,  the  latter  yen  19,430,963.  The  total 
1917-18  revenue  was  therefore  yen  714,534,127  against  a 
total  of  yen  294,854,868  for  1900-01.  To  the  available 
revenue  for  1917-18  must  be  added  treasury  surplus  of  the 
preceding  years  transferred,  yen  53,151,113. 

The  land  tax  is  laid  proportionally  to  the  value  of  the 
land  taxed.  The  value  is  computed  on  the  rent  or  the  net 
revenue.  The  mortgagee  pays  on  mortgaged  land,  the 
leaseholder  on  land  leased  for  more  than  one  hundred  years, 
the  owner  on  all  other  land.  For  arable  land  it  runs  at 
two  and  one-half  per  cent.,  on  town  land  built  on,  seventeen 
and  one-half  per  cent.,  not  built  upon,  three  per  cent.,  rural 
properties  built  upon,  five  and  one-half  per  cent. 

The  income  tax  is  laid  upon  all  native  residents  except 
those  with  income  below  three  hundred  yen,  and  aliens  of 
one  year’s  residence  or  over  in  Japan,  on  absentee  resi- 
dents with  profitable  interests  in  Japan  to  the  extent  of 
the  income  from  such  interests.  It  is  on  a sliding  scale,  the 
lowest  for  the  smallest  income  being  two  per  cent.,  the 


324 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


average  two  and  one-half  per  cent.  On  incomes  from 
5,000  to  100,000  yen  and  beyond  the  rate  mounts 
from  two  to  over  twenty  per  cent.  Corporation  and  joint 
stock  companies  pay  from  two  to  ten  per  cent.  There  is  a 
long  list  of  exemptions. 

The  textile  tax  is  imposed  on  woollen  goods  at  fifteen  per 
cent.,  and  on  all  other  materials,  ten  per  cent. 

Customs  duties  were  first  legalized  in  Japan  in  1859,  but 
a new  tariff  was  passed  in  1866  which  remained  in  force 
for  thirty-three  years  to  1899,  when  a new  tariff  was  passed 
based  partly  on  the  revised  commercial  treaties  with  foreign 
powers  then  coming  into  effect.  At  this  time  all  export 
duties  were  abolished.  The  war  with  Russia  caused  the 
imposition  of  a sur-tax  on  importations.  A further  re- 
vision took  place  in  1906.  The  growth  of  manufacturing 
in  Japan  caused  a revision  in  the  tariff  field  in  1910,  the 
act  then  passed  coming  into  operation  in  1911.  It  enum- 
erates six  hundred  and  forty-seven  articles,  classified  in 
seventeen  groups,  and  further  subdivided  and  the  rates  as 
far  as  possible  made  specific  duties.  Raw  materials  are 
mostly  duty-free,  partly  manufactured  goods  come  in  under 
light  duties.  Upon  manufactured  articles  the  rates  vary 
from  fifteen  per  cent,  to  forty  per  cent.  Many  lines  of 
goods  come  under  the  lower  rates,  while  the  goods  on  which 
forty  per  cent,  is  imposed  are  small  in  amount  of  impor- 
tation. Again,  though  a duty  of  fifty  per  cent,  is  levied 
upon  articles  of  luxury,  their  importation  is  also  very 
small. 

By  tariff  conventions  with  Great  Britain,  Germany, 
Prance  and  Italy,  duty  concessions  were  made  on  both 
sides.  The  outbreak  of  war  on  August  23,  1914,  with 
Germany  put  an  end  to  the  German  convention. 

The  monopoly  revenues  noted  heretofore  are  led  by  that 
on  tobacco — the  manufactured  tobacco  monopoly — which  in 
its  present  form  dates  from  1904  when  it  succeeded  the  leaf 


JAPAN’S  FINANCE  AND  BANKING 


325 


tobacco  monopoly  established  a year  earlier.  Under  the 
provisions  of  the  law  the  cultivation  of  tobacco  is  permitted 
to  individuals  under  a government  permit,  and  the  leaf 
tobecco  grown  is  taken  over  by  the  government  at  a suitable 
price  according  to  quality,  and  manufactured  at  a govern- 
ment factory,  the  manufactured  article  being  sold  at  fixed 
prices  by  licensed  dealers.  Foreign  tobacco  cannot  be 
imported  except  by  the  government  or  persons  whom  the 
government  appoints,  while  exportation  can  only  be  effected 
by  persons  specially  permitted  to  do  so.  The  results  are 
highly  satisfactory  to  the  government. 

The  salt  monopoly  is  a relic  of  the  financial  requirements 
of  the  Russian  war  and  has  been  retained  for  its  benefits 
at  large  as  well  as  its  revenue.  Exportation  is  free. 

The  camphor  monopoly  was  primarily  applied  in  For- 
mosa but  later  applied  also  to  Japan  Proper.  Its  object 
is  to  retain  control  of  this  important  article  so  scarce 
among  natural  products.  The  extraction  from  the  cam- 
phor tree  of  crude  camphor  and  camphor-oil  is  confined 
to  licensed  persons.  All  the  product  is  sold  to  the  govern- 
ment w’hich  declares  the  quantities  for  export.  It  yields 
only  about  yen  72,000. 

The  National  Debt  of  Japan  may  be  divided  into  internal 
and  foreign  loans  as  to  their  raising,  and  into  national 
development  and  war  loans  as  to  their  object.  In  accom- 
plishing the  great  work  of  social  and  political  reorganiza- 
tion after  the  Restoration  in  1868,  the  new  government  at 
once  suffered  from  deficiency  of  financial  resources:  con- 
sequently loans  were  raised.  The  first  loan  was  placed  in 
London  in  1870  and  the  second  at  home  in  1873,  the  first 
going  to  railway  construction  and  the  second  to  consoli- 
dating hereditary  pensions,  turning  the  debts  incurred  by 
the  former  feudal  lords  into  national  debts.  For  similar 
home  development  objects  successive  loans  were  placed 


326 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


until  war  broke  out  with  China,  when  an  issue  of  yen 

100.000. 000  war  bonds  was  made.  The  victory  over  China 
ushered  in  an  era  of  domestic  expansion  and  improvements 
which  caused  the  issue  of  railway  and  industrial  loans. 
One  raised  abroad  in  1899  for  industrial  purposes  was  the 
first  foreign  loan  since  1873.  Then  came  the  Russian  war 
with  its  mountainous  expenses,  necessitating  successive 
issues  of  war  bonds,  internal  and  foreign,  so  that  Japan’s 
national  debt  increased  enormously,  jumping  in  fact  from 
the  1904-05  total  of  yen  969,000,000  to  the  1906-07  figure 
of  yen,  2,135,000,000.  Of  this  yen  800,000,000  was  raised 
abroad  during  the  war.  Due  to  financial  adjustments  and 
railway  nationalization,  the  increase  continued  after  the 
war  until,  in  March,  1911,  it  had  reached  a total  of  yen 
2,650,395,115,  that  is,  yen  39.571  or  $19.78  per  capita. 
Since  1909  the  government  has  redeemed  at  least  yen 

50.000. 000  a year  until  1916  when  in  face  of  the  European 
war  the  reduction  was  yen  30,000,000. 

The  outstanding  national  loans  as  of  March  31,  1917, 
were : 

Yen 

Internal  loans 1,097,494,377 

Foreign  loans 1,370,207,560 

Total  outstanding 2,467,701,937 

Original  issues,  yen  2,817,632,225 ; redeemed,  yen 
349,930,288. 

According  to  the  objects  for  which  they  were  raised  the 
amounts  outstanding  of  loans,  March  31,  1917,  were : 


Yen 

Reorganization  of  public  institutions 97,668,843 

Railway  construction  and  purchase 728,105,904 

Steel  works,  harbour  works,  telephone 42,401,183 


THK  hank  of  JAPAN 


INTERIOR  YOKOHAMA  SPECIE  BANK,  TOKYO 


JAPAN’S  FINANCE  AND  BANKING 


327 


. ■ Ten 

Military  affairs  (war) 1,301,453,547 

“ (expansion  of  armaments) 81,109,424 

Financial  adjustments  (new  loans  for  old) 111,099,536 

Monopoly  loans 13,328,547 

Exploitation  of  new  territory,  Formosa  and  Korea  92,534,953 

Total 2,467,701,937 


Per  capita,  yen  34.041. 

These  loans  bear  interest  at  four,  four  and  one-half  or 
five  per  cent. 

Municipal  loans.  As  part  of  the  financial  condition  of 
Japan  note  should  be  taken  of  tbe  local  loans  of  prefectures, 
districts,  cities,  towns,  villages  and  local  associations.  For 
the  purpose  of  encouraging  local  enterprise  and  devising 
means  of  fostering  the  resources  of  the  people,  the  govern- 
ment gives  liberal  encouragement  to  well-considered  plans 
for  local  betterment  whether  in  education,  sanitation,  in- 
dustry or  public  works.  It  has  accordingly  arranged  with 
the  Hypothec  Bank  of  Japan  and  the  Hokaido  Colonial 
Bank  to  advance  money  for  local  use  at  low  interest 
upon  condition  that  the  government  should  take  over  the 
debentures  annually,  using  for  this  a portion  of  the  postal 
savings  retained  in  the  finance  department.  These  loans 
with  some  exceptions  are  raised  by  the  local  bodies  or  cor- 
porations only  upon  acquiring  permission  from  the  Minister 
of  Home  Affairs  and  Minister  of  Finance,  and,  where  edu- 
cational matters  are  involved,  from  the  Minister  of  Educa- 
tion. The  amount  so  supplied  in  the  financial  years  from 
1909-10  to  1914  was  yen  27,166,000.  At  the  end  of  the 
year  1916-17  the  annual  revenue  of  the  local  bodies  of 
Japan  Proper  was  yen  297,821,671  and  their  expenditures 
yen  292,893,756.  Of  the  local  loans  made  by  the  same 
corporations  with  government  approval  there  were  at  the 
end  of  1916  yen  340,625,008,  and  of  loans  not  requiring 
government  approval  there  were  outstanding  yen  7,442,026, 


328 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


a total  of  yen  348,047,034.  Industry,  sanitation  and  public 
works  led  in  the  objects  for  which  they  were  raised.  Some 
local  loans  were  very  successfully  raised  abroad  by  the 
cities.  The  latter  it  may  be  said  led  in  enterprise  and  the 
call  for  loans.  The  interest  upon  these  loans  and  all  the 
expense  of  the  care  for  their  repayment  are  met  from  local 
taxation. 

National  expenditure.  Under  the  stress  of  war  condi- 
tions expenditure  naturally  rose  sharply  during  the  conflict 
with  Russia,  and  the  necessities  of  the  nation  as  a world 
power  in  trade  and  commerce  as  well  as  in  naval  and  army 
strength  have  called  for  great  increases  in  the  cost  of 
government.  Thus  in  1900-01  the  total  of  state  expendi- 
ture, ordinary  and  extraordinary,  stood  at  yen  292,750,059, 
but  the  war  costs  in  the  budget  for  1905-06  called  for  and 
obtained  yen  420,741,205.  The  cost  of  armament  and 
growing  institutions  of  all  kinds  in  succeeding  years  made 
necessary  still  greater  expenditure,  thus : 


Ordinary  Extraordinary  Total 

1914- 15 415,971,859  207,880,569  623,852,428 

1915- 16 386,516,456  196,753,397  583,269,853 

1916- 17 397,755,609  204,507,363  602,262,972 


1917-18  estimated. 437, 261,332  277,272,795  714,534,127 

Under  ordinary  expenses  are  imperial  household,  yen 
4,500,000,  army,  yen  80,240,568,  navy,  yen  49,810,653.  The 
executive  and  administrative  cost  of  the  departments  cover 
the  departments  of  Foreign  Affairs,  Home  Affairs,  Finance, 
Justice  (including  prisons).  Public  Instruction  (yen  9,812,- 
159),  Agriculture  and  Commerce  and  Communications 
(telegraphs,  railways,  and  highways). 

Extraordinary  outlays  cover  yen  19,244,207  for  the  army 
and  yen  59,760,070  for  the  new  navy  building  program, 
with  yen  114,829,842  for  Finance  and  yen  41,092,130  for 
Home  Affairs. 


JAPAN’S  FINANCE  AND  BANKING 


329 


War  is  the  great  increasing  factor.  After  the  China- 
Japan  war  of  1894-95,  expenditures  doubled,  and  before 
the  century  had  closed  were  tripled.  Compared  with  1894- 
95  the  outlays  are  now  up  eightfold  and  increasing. 

In  considering  these  figures  of  the  current  national 
finance  of  Japan  it  is  worth  pointing  out  that  the  Empire 
entered  the  European  war  period  under  conditions,  partly 
forced  on  her  it  is  true,  which  proved  to  be  the  best  prep- 
aration for  the  era  of  prosperity  now  in  process  of  develop- 
ment, namely,  with  the  resolve  upon  the  strictest  economy. 
As  regards  the  working  budget  for  1915-16  the  war  caused 
a very  great  decrease  of  revenue  to  the  national  treasury 
and,  moreover,  not  only  were  the  various  laws  relative  to 
the  reduction  of  taxes  which  had  been  established  and 
promulgated  in  the  preceding  year  brought  into  force,  but 
as  the  various  expenditures  connected  Avith  the  war  were 
considered  important,  several  urgent  and  indispensable 
measures  were  carried  out  by  drastic  curtailment  of 
expenses  in  both  the  general  and  special  accounts  and 
postponement  of  many  undertakings.  Especially,  the 
solution  of  the  question  of  the  increase  of  army  divisions 
and  construction  of  warships  which  had  long  agitated  the 
political  world  of  Japan  will,  it  is  believed,  have  a bene- 
ficial effect  upon  political  administration  in  the  future, 
accomplished  as  they  are  from  ordinary  revenue. 

Banking  and  Currency.  Since  1872  when  the  national 
banks  were  created,  the  banking  business  has  been  carried 
on  with  growing  effectiveness.  Banks  of  every  description 
have  been  instituted  in  rapid  succession,  and  now  the  credit 
establishments  for  agriculture,  industry,  commerce  and 
various  other  enterprises  have  been  brought  into  full 
working  order,  their  actual  number  being  2,159,  with  more 
than  3,000  branches  scattered  through  the  country.  All 
classes  of  the  community  and  all  sections  of  Japan  Proper 
and  her  possessions  are  served,  and  even  Japan’s  monetary 


330 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


resources  oversea  are  taken  care  of.  The  banks  are  nat- 
urally divided  into  two  classes,  namely,  those  which  have 
been  established  under  the  general  banking  laws  and  facili- 
tate the  general  circulation  of  capital,  and  those  which, 
having  been  created  under  special  banking  laws,  have 
special  objects  and  functions.  The  latter  as  national 
institutions  should  be  glimpsed  at  first.  The  trust  com- 
pany as  known  in  the  United  States  does  not  exist  in  Japan, 
but  trust  company  business  is  done  by  two  of  the  special 
and  eight  of  the  ordinary  banks. 

Bank  of  Japan.  The  banking  business  of  the  Japanese 
Empire,  as  it  is  carried  on  today,  may  be  said  to  date  from 
the  establishment  of  the  Central  Bank  or  Bank  of  Japan 
in  1882.  Up  to  that  time  a banking  system  modelled  on 
the  then  existing  national  bank  system  of  the  United  States 
had  been  in  existence  for  ten  years.  The  national  banks 
had  become  profitable  and  popular,  but  did  not  wholly 
meet  national  banking  requirements  and  a change  in  the 
direction  of  the  French  and  English  systems  was  sought, 
resulting  in  the  present  system.  The  national  banks  having 
reached  the  limit  of  bank-note  issue,  further  creations  of 
these  banks  was  forbidden  in  1879,  and  in  1882  of  133  in 
existence,  two  retired  from  the  business,  one  was  amalga- 
mated with  another  bank,  the  remainder  continuing  as 
ordinary  banks  shorn  of  the  issuing  power.  The  Bank  of 
Japan  was  founded  as  a joint  stock  company  with  a capital 
of  yen  10,000,000,  which  has  since  been  increased  to  yen 
60,000,000  in  300,000  shares,  of  which  yen  37,500,000  is 
paid  up.  Its  chartei;  runs  until  1942.  Besides  manj* 
agencies,  branch  offices  have  been  established  in  eleven 
business  centres,  namely,  Osaka,  Moji,  Nagoya,  Otaru, 
Kyoto,  Fukoshima,  Hiroshima,  Hakodate,  Nanazawa, 
Niigata  and  Matsumoto.  Outside  regular  banking  busi- 
ness in  deposits  of  paper  or  bullion  it  makes  advances  on 
current  accounts  or  loans  on  deposit  of  public  loan  bonds, 


JAPAN’S  FINANCE  AND  BANKING 


331 


bills  or  notes  issued  by  the  government  under  conditions 
meeting  the  approval  of  the  Minister  of  Finance.  It 
issues  bank  notes  subject  to  government  regulation  and 
as  has  before  been  said  is  really  the  cashier  for  the  govern- 
ment. The  rate  of  dividend  has  been  twelve  per  cent,  for 
a number  of  years.  At  the  close  of  1916,  the  latest  for 
which  details  are  complete,  it  held  deposits  of  yen  15,050,- 
691,653.  It  had  made  loans  of  yen  470,249,588,  discounted 
bills,  yen  349,895,637.  Its  earnings  were  yen  17,867,972, 
expenses,  yen  11,970,960,  and  net  profit,  yen  5,897,012. 
Dividend,  yen  4,500,000,  at  the  rate  of  twelve  per 
cent,  as  usual.  Its  business  for  1917  was  enormously 
greater. 

Yokohama  Specie  Bank  was  founded  in  1880  mainly  to 
meet  the  requirements  of  Japan’s  foreign  trade.  It  began 
with  a capital  of  yen  3,000,000,  the  government  subscribing 
one-third  of  the  capital  so  marked  was  the  urgency  for  its 
existence.  In  July,  1887,  special  regulations  were  pro- 
mulgated and  the  capital  doubled.  Its  rapid  grovdh  under 
very  able  management  called  for  repeated  additions  to  its 
capital  of  which  the  present  authorized  amount  is  yen 
48,000,000,  of  which  yen  30,000,000  is  paid  up.  In  1916 
it  held  reserve  of  yen  23,112,073.  Deposits  of  yen  5,641,- 
558,064,  loans,  yen  1,109,519,297,  bills  discounted,  yen 
228,365,955.  Its  dividend  is  regularly  twelve  per  cent. 
Of  all  Japanese  banking  institutions  it  is  best  known  to 
the  foreign  business  world.  It  has  thirty-one  branches  and 
sub-branches,  twenty-seven  of  which  are  abroad.  It  deals 
in  home  and  foreign  exchanges,  makes  loans,  receives 
deposits  of  money  and  custody  of  articles  of  value,  dis- 
counts and  collects  bills  of  exchange,  promissory  notes  and 
other  securities  and  exchanges  moneys. 

The  Hypothec  Bank  of  Japan  was  established  as  a joint 
stock  company  under  a special  law  of  1897.  It  makes 
long-term  loans  at  low  interest  on  mortgages  of  immovable 


332 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


property,  and  is  a central  organ  for  financing  large  agri- 
cultural and  industrial  enterprises,  makes  loans  without 
security  to  prefectures,  cities,  towns  and  other  legal  public 
bodies,  also  to  guilds  for  agricultural,  industrial,  fishery  or 
forestry  purposes.  It  takes  up  mortgage  debentures  for 
local  hypothec  banks.  It  has  important  privileges  as  to 
issue  of  debentures.  In  1916  its  authorized  capital  stood 
at  yen  40,000,000,  of  which  yen  25,000,000  had  been  paid : 
Reserve,  yen  6,444,400,  deposits,  yen  25,853,348,  loans,  yen 
256,833,777,  bills  discounted,  yen  20,362,562,  net  profit,  yen 
3,757,627,  dividend  ten  per  cent.,  mortgage  debentures 
issued,  yen  13,482,200. 

The  forty-six  agricultural  and  industrial  hanks  were 
authorized  at  the  same  time  as  the  Hypothec  Bank  to  act 
locally  in  the  same  direction  with  the  hypothec  banks  as 
their  central  organ.  Between  1897  and  1900  the  forty-six 
were  established  according  to  law,  one  in  each  prefecture. 
They  have  done  a fiourishing  business  in  deposits  and  loans 
and  have  proved  immensely  useful  to  the  expanding  indus- 
tries of  the  country.  At  the  close  of  1916  the  forty-six 
banks  showed  authorized  capital  of  yen  53,970,000,  paid 
up,  yen  46,895,000,  deposits,  yen  143,546,258,  advances,  yen 
190,910,184,  bills  discounted,  yen  5,491,740,  earnings,  yen 
22,195,236,  net  profit,  yen  9,034,465,  dividend,  7.3  per 
cent.,  debentures,  brought  over,  yen  92,579,930,  issued, 
yen  11,866,000. 

The  Industrial  Bank  of  Japan  was  established  in  1902 
under  a special  law  as  a joint  stock  company  with  the 
special  object  of  handling  bonds  and  shares  of  various 
kinds.  It  makes  loans  on  security  of  national  and  local 
government  loan  bonds,  companies’  debentures  and  shares. 
It  subscribes  for  or  takes  up  such  loan  bonds  and  deben- 
tures: it  does  a trust  business,  discounts  bills  and  makes 
loans  on  security  of  foundation  prescribed  by  law.  It 
makes  advances  within  certain  limits  on  current  accounts 


JAPAN’S  FINANCE  AND  BANKING 


333 


on  security  of  sites  and  buildings  belonging  to  factories. 
It  does  a thriving  business.  It  may  issue  debentures  up 
to  ten  times  its  paid-up  capital.  The  latter  stands  at  yen 
17,500,000.  While  the  Hypothec  Bank  may  be  described 
as  a kind  of  credit  fonder,  the  Industrial  Bank  may  be 
considered  a species  of  credit  mohilier.  In  1916  deposits 
were  yen  261,653,402;  loans,  yen  36,838,334;  bills  dis- 
counted, yen  178,941,227 ; capital  trust  fund,  yen  60,716,- 
223;  new  profit,  yen  1,177,765;  dividend,  5.8  per  cent.; 
debentures  issued,  yen  15,000,000. 

The  Hokkaido  Colonial  Bank,  specially  legalized  in  1899, 
a joint  stock  corporation  with  a capital  of  yen  5,000,000 
fully  paid  up,  facilitates  the  exploitation  of  the  island  of 
Hokkaido  and  Karafuto  (Saghalien).  Founded  in  1909 
it  had  in  1916  deposits,  yen  150,534,590;  loans,  yen  39,- 
706,816;  bills  discounted,  yen  42,288,569;  dividend,  8.5 
per  cent. 

The  banks  of  Taiwan  (Formosa)  and  Chosen  (Korea) 
do  for  these  possessions  on  a limited  scale  much  of  what 
the  Bank  of  Japan  does  for  Japan  Proper.  In  addition 
to  usual  banking  business  they  carry  out  governmental 
money  operations  and  issue  bank  notes  of  low  denomina- 
tions. Their  activities  as  represented  by  the  figures  of 
1916  were: 

Bank  of  Chosen,  paid-up  capital,  yen  10,000,000;  de- 
posits, yen  659,737,457 ; loans,  yen  151,237,847 ; bills  dis- 
counted, yen  192,040,903. 

Bank  of  Taiwan,  paid-up  capital,  yen  14,992,475;  de- 
posits, yen  1,867,540,035;  loans,  yen  263,776,115;  bills  dis- 
counted, yen  392,544,133. 

Ordinary  hanks,  to  the  number  of  1,434,  which  are  car- 
ried on  by  private  capital  and  supply  banking  facilities 
for  the  country  at  large,  represent  for  1916,  paid-up  capi- 
tal, yen  363,374,410;  deposits  (1915),  yen  19,831,910,101; 
loans,  yen  4,666,204,068;  bills  discounted,  yen  5,697,685,- 


334 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


450;  average  of  dividend,  four  per  cent.  Ordinary  banks 
are  placed  under  the  control  of  the  Minister  of  Finance, 
whose  license  is  required  for  the  establishment  of  a new 
bank  or  the  amalgamation  of  existing  banks.  He  is  also 
empowered  to  order  at  any  time  investigation  into  the 
busine.s8  condition  and  property  of  a bank.  Every  bank 
must  each  half-year  prepare  and  present  to  the  Minister 
a balance-sheet  and  other  business  reports  and  publish  the 
balance-sheet  in  newspapers  or  by  other  means.  Provisions 
also  are  made  in  the  regulations  with  regard  to  business 
hours  and  holidays. 

Savings  Banks.  Under  the  law  of  1890  which  declares 
that  they  must  be  joint  stock  companies  of  not  less  than 
yen  30,000  capital,  six  hundred  and  sixty  banks  take  charge 
of  minor  deposits  on  compound  interest  under  suitable 
conditions  as  to  deposit  of  bonds,  national  or  local,  as 
security.  Of  the  660  banks,  153  were  in  1916  ordinary 
banks  which  added  savings  departments  to  their  ordinary 
business.  Savings  banks,  all  kinds,  showed  in  1916  paid-up 
capital,  yen  123,315,156;  savings  deposits  (1915),  yen  482,- 
292,788;  ordinary  deposits,  2,061,116,677;  loans,  yen  988,- 
662,732;  bills  discounted,  yen  812,044,248;  dividend  (1915), 
nine  per  cent. 

Postal  savings  hanks  (which  should  be  considered  in  all 
observations  of  the  financial  condition  of  Japan)  are  con- 
ducted by  the  Department  of  Communications.  They  w'ere 
established  in  1857  in  connection  with  the  monej'-order 
system,  following  the  Belgian  and  British  models.  Ten 
sen  (five  cents)  is  the  lowest  amount  received  and  one 
thousand  yen  the  highest  for  a single  depositor.  The  in- 
stitution has  steadily  grown  in  numbers  of  depositors  and 
amount  deposited.  At  the  close  of  JMarch,  1916,  the  de- 
positors were  close  to  thirteen  millions  (12,700,105)  and 
their  deposits  were  yen  226,989,937.  These  included  over 
four  million  farmers,  a million  and  a half  merchants,  nearly 


JAPAN’S  FINANCE  AND  BANKING 


335 


three  million  students,  with  manufacturers,  operatives, 
fishers  and  sailors,  civil  and  military  in  figures  from  quarter 
of  a million  to  over  three-quarters,  and  still  leaving  over 
half  a million  to  be  classed  as  miscellaneous.  During 
1916-17  the  general  prosperity  of  the  country  added  largely 
to  the  number  of  depositors  and  of  the  amounts  to  their 
credit.  At  the  end  of  August,  1916,  the  deposits  had 
mounted  to  yen  269,670,969.  The  system  is  applied  to  all 
Japan’s  possessions  and  provision  is  made  to  receive  de- 
posits from  Japanese  subjects  oversea. 

Insurance.  Insurance  companies  were  first  organized  in 
Japan  in  1881  but  until  1899  were  not  put  under  regula- 
tion. In  1910  the  present  insurance  law  was  put  into 
operation.  Amendments  and  revisions  were  made  in  1911 
and  1912,  and  on  September  11,  1914,  the  War  Marine 
Insurance  Indemnity  Act  was  promulgated  whereby  any 
Japanese  company  insuring  at  a premium  not  higher  than 
the  authorized  current  rate,  making  good  a loss  caused  by 
the  war,  the  government  is  to  grant  as  indemnity  to  such 
company  a sum  representing  eighty  per  cent,  of  the 
amount  paid.  In  1915-16  there  were  forty-one  native  com- 
panies writing  life  insurance,  carrying  1,816,292  contracts 
with  insurance  totaling  yen  1,072,228,852;  twenty  fire  in- 
surance companies  carrying  990,283  contracts  with  insur- 
ance of  yen  1,564,627,281 ; twelve  marine  insurance 
companies  had  47,055  contracts  with  yen  153,109,583 
insurance.  There  were  two  conscription  insurance  com- 
panies, one  sickness  insurance,  four  accident  insurance, 
eight  transport  insurance,  one  fidelity  (credit)  insurance, 
one  boiler  and  engine  insurance,  and  one  automobile  insui’- 
anee  company. 

Foreign  insurance  companies  operate  in  Japan  under 
government  regulations  to  the  number  of  thirty-nine.  Two 
life  insurance  companies  are  from  the  United  States. 
Fourteen  fire  insurance  companies  hail  from  England,  and 


336 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


one  each  from  France,  Holland  and  Hong  Kong.  There 
was  one  from  Germany  before  the  war. 

Currency  on  gold  basis.  The  coinage  system  of  Japan  is 
based  upon  the  Coinage  Law  of  1897  which  established  the 
gold  mono-metallic  system.  The  standard  gold  coins  are 
of  three  denominations,  namely  five,  ten  and  twenty-yen 
pieces.  Subsidiary  silver  pieces  are  ten,  twenty  and  fifty 
sen.  There  are  nickel  five  sen  and  bronse  one  sen  and 
five  rin  (half-sen).  A yen  as  noted  is  roughly  half  a 
dollar. 

Bank  notes  are  issued  by  the  Bank  of  Japan  and  are 
convertible  into  gold.  The  bank  is  required  to  hold  as 
conversion  reserve  against  the  issue  of  notes  gold  and  silver 
coin  and  bullion  of  like  amount.  Silver  coin  and  bullion 
must  not  form  more  than  one-fourth  of  the  entire  con- 
version reserve. 

Coins  in  circulation  at  the  end  of  1916  amounted  to  yen 
181,400,071  against  yen  169,440,724  in  1915.  Of  bank 
notes  issued  by  the  Bank  of  Japan,  the  balance  stood  at 
the  end  of  1916  at  yen  601,224,411. 

Difficulties  and  inequalities  under  the  old  system  of 
conversion  have  been  largely  remedied  by  the  new  coinage 
system.  The  change  of  system  did  not  disturb  the  relations 
of  creditors  and  debtors.  Prior  to  the  change,  1 of  gold 
to  16.174  of  silver  was  the  legal  relative  value  of  the  two 
metals,  while  in  actual  price  the  rate  stood  at  1 to  31  to 
35,  and  transactions  were  carried  on  the  standard  of  silver. 
Under  the  new  system,  the  weight  of  gold  pieces  was  re- 
duced by  one-half  and  the  rate  became  1 to  32.348.  The 
important  change  that  attended  the  reform  was  the  trans- 
fer of  the  standard  of  price  from  silver  to  gold.  Exchange 
business  with  gold-using  countries  has  been  made  prac- 
tically stable  and  foreign  trade  with  them  greatly  stimu- 
lated. Finally,  one  of  the  most  important  effects  of  the 
adoption  of  the  new  system  is  that  Japan’s  money  market 


JAPAN’S  FINANCE  AND  BANKING  337 

has  been  brought  into  closer  relation  with  the  European 
markets. 

Not  only  have  the  public  loans  been  raised  abroad  in 
much  greater  amount  than  ever,  but  the  flow  of  capital 
from  these  gold  countries  has  been  stimulated  and  various 
undertakings  have  been  flnanced  in  this  way.  At  the 
present  time,  European  and  American  capitalists  are  dis- 
posed to  invest  their  money  in  Japan.  This  may  be  partly 
due  to  the  fact  that  Japan’s  economic  conditions  have  be- 
come better  known,  but  the  gold  basis  monetary  system  is 
also  partly  responsible  for  it. 

War  Profits.  The  great  addition  to  Japan’s  manu- 
factures and  export  trade  through  the  war  in  Europe  can 
be  effectively  gauged  in  a few  flgures  showing  the  lively 
growth  of  transactions  in  the  turnover  of  money  and 
banking  in  Japan  Proper.  The  following  table  comparing 
business  at  the  end  of  August,  1916,  with  that  of  1915  will 
carry  a special  illumination; 


1916 

1915 

Coins  in  circulation 

Deposits  in  associated  banks  of 

181,400,071 

169,440,724 

eight  principal  cities 

Deposits  in  post  office  savings 

1,582,925,601 

1,183,149,650 

bureau 

269,670,969 

212,465,274 

Total  of  deposits  and  loans 

3,439,229,533 

2,583,377,790 

Amount  of  bills  cleared  in  clear- 
ing houses  of  eight  principal 

August,  1916 

August,  1915 

cities 

1,592,749,548 

947,859,256 

As  in  the  United  States  the  war  conditions  calling  for  a 
great  supply  of  war  material,  clothing  and  foodstuffs  have 


338 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


brought  about  an  inflow  of  gold  to  the  Japanese  vaults 
beyond  precedent.  The  following  figures  are  notable: 


Specie  in  Japan  and 
abroad  oicned  by  the 
government  and  Bank 
Specie  reserve  of  Japan 

1913  yen  228,000,000  yen  376,000,000 

1914  “ 218,000,000  “ 341,000,000 

1915  “ 248,000,000  “ 516,000,000 

1916  “ 410,519,000  “ 692,000,000 


This  increased  business  has  allowed  Japan  to  lend  in  all 
$550,000,000  to  her  allies.  War  orders  for  1917  are  cal- 
culated at  over  1,000,000,000  yen. 


CHAPTER  XXII 


KOREA,  A MODEL  OF  COLONIAL  UPLIFT 

Over  the  path  of  the  great  sea  fight — Fusan — Korean  peculiarities 
— Wonderful  uplift  work  of  Japan  in  seven  years  since  an- 
nexation— Seoul,  the  city  of  the  fallen  dynasty  and  the  new 
advance — A \nsit  to  Governor-General  Terauchi — Increasing 
rice  crop — Afforesting  the  mountains — The  schools  and  helps 
to  all — At  a technical  school — 16,000,000  Koreans  being  led 
upward  by  a handful  of  Japanese. 

We  had  passed  through  the  Tsushima  straits  with  the  twin 
Tsushima  Islands  rising  darkly  mountainous  from  the  sea 
some  seven  miles  away  and  the  thought  of  the  giant  combat 
in  these  waters  which  laid  low  the  pride  of  the  Russian 
navy  some  ten  years  before  was  inevitable.  One  pictured 
the  exploding  shells,  the  onrush  of  the  Japanese  battleships, 
grey  and  terrible,  spouting  fire  and  hurling  steel,  and 
beyond  the  maiming,  the  surrendering,  the  sinking  of  the 
Russian  ships  which  had  come  so  far  to  suffer  such  over- 
whelming defeat.  Then  the  commanding  figure  of  Admiral 
Togo  on  his  stout  ship’s  bridge. 

It  was  night.  The  air  had  a delicious  mildness  after  the 
red  sunset.  To  the  northwest  lifted  in  indigo  a rugged 
coast  line  and  presently  lights  gleamed.  We  were  on  the 
threshhold  of  Korea,  at  the  gate  of  Asia ! 

The  trip  from  Shimonoseki  at  the  southern  tip  of  the 
main  island  of  Japan,  one  hundred  and  twenty-two  miles, 
to  Fusan,  the  nearest  Korean  port,  is  a matter  of  a dozen 
hours  of  smooth  sailing  in  a well-appointed  spotlessly  clean 
steamer.  There  are  four  such  steamers  on  the  line,  so  the 

339 


340 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


passage  is  a good  deal  of  a ferry  crossing.  If  it  comes  as 
in  my  ease  to  a chance  of  sea  rest  between  railroad  journeys 
it  is  very  welcome  and  enjoyable.  There  are  morning  and 
evening  sailings  at  either  end  of  the  route.  By  all  means 
take  the  morning  route  and  do  not  miss  the  transit  through 
the  wide  winding  channel  between  headlands  as  you  leave 
the  Japanese  coast. 

Through  the  increasing  darkness  a very  bright  three- 
flash  light  shone  out.  That  was  in  Fusan  harbour.  A 
proper  touch  of  mystery  it  brought  to  the  scene.  Soon  we 
had  entered  the  wide  mouth  of  the  haven,  lights  of  Fusan 
showing  in  tiers  on  every  side,  and  then  the  waterside 
sounds,  tug  whistles,  sailor  shouts,  a distant  melancholy 
flute.  The  puffing  of  a locomotive  gave  it  the  true  modern 
touch.  So  ashore  to  the  Railroad  Hotel  and  a night  of 
balmy  rest. 

Korea  is  no  inconsiderable  item.  In  territory  it  has 
84,738  square  miles,  upholding  its  place  between  the  Yellow 
Sea  and  the  Sea  of  Japan  with  its  mountain  chains  and  its 
broad  valleys  and  a population  of  some  16,000,000  souls. 
Its  interest  as  a cradle  of  the  very  old  civilizations  does  not 
with  the  casual  visitor  offer  such  attraction  perhaps  as  the 
fact  that  it  is  the  home  of  a once  proud  race  fallen  into 
ineptitude  under  a crushing,  rapacious  domestic  tyranny 
and  carrying  down  with  it  the  family  of  sceptred  kings  or 
emperors  who  have  ruled  it  and  robbed  it  for  over  five 
hundred  years. 

It  was  Korea  that  fed  the  islands  of  Japan  with  ideas  on 
religion,  ideals  of  art  and  crafts.  It  was  through  Korea 
that  the  Chinese  ideographs  brought  the  possibilities  of 
literature  to  Japan — all  over  fifteen  hundred  years  ago. 
You  are  therefore  face  to  face  with  something  very  old  in 
the  human  scale,  if  also  of  something  very  young  in  the 
story  of  world  surface  building. 

It  seemed  to  me  in  approaching  Asia  from  America  that 


KOREA,  A MODEL  OP  COLONIAL  UPLIFT  341 

in  the  Hawaiian  group  of  islands  one  faced  the  most  recent 
of  earth  developments.  The  volcanic  peaks  seemed  to  have 
risen  from  the  ocean  bed  but  yesterday,  as  it  were.  The 
sear  of  the  inner  earth  fires  seemed  yet  upon  the  mountain 
faces  under  the  sparse  green  of  their  actual  surface. 

In  Japan  the  multitudinous  upstarting  mountain  chains 
and  groups  fantastic  seemed  older,  though  still — as  the 
earth’s  clock  runs — recent  in  their  subterranean  origin. 
The  narrow  valleys  seemed  older,  the  rounding  of  hilltops 
older.  In  Korea  one  came  upon  a land  older  still  than 
Japan,  and  yet  young  compared  with  the  inner  sweeps  of 
the  great  continents  of  which  it  was  an  outpost — the  great 
sweep  across  Siberia  and  Russia  and  Germany  to  the  waters 
of  the  North  Sea. 

Of  more  present  interest  still,  it  was  the  home  of  a fallen 
monarchic  idol  and  the  thrilling  scene  of  a tremendously 
organized  attempt  to  galvanize  into  primal  abundance  a 
terrain  run  fallow  through  centuries,  and  to  resurrect  into 
ambition  and  potentiality  a people  long  inert  and  pitifully 
powerless — the  scene  of  Japan’s  great  experiment  as  a 
colonizer  and  builder. 

One  may  not  see  all  these  things  in  their  cumulative 
aspect  at  first.  Frankly  I did  not.  The  concrete  state- 
ment to  me  of  Baron  Makino,  formerly  Secretary  for 
Foreign  Affairs,  in  the  cultured  quiet  of  his  home  in  Tokyo, 
that  out  of  Korea  had  come  for  centuries  the  influence  most 
to  be  reckoned  with  in  the  relations  of  Japan  with  the  rest 
of  the  world,  had  impressed  me  most  about  Korea.  It  was 
the  source  of  keenest  scrutiny.  Whoever  most  prevailed  in 
Korean  counsels,  whether  it  was  China  or  Russia,  had  to 
be  guarded  against  by  Japan.  It  had  been  the  land  to  be 
watchful  of. 

“Now,  happily,’’  he  added,  “since  the  war  with  Russia, 
Korea  has  been  annexed  and  that  part  of  the  problem 
eliminated.  The  problem  now  lies  further  afield.” 


342 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


Thus  it  was  with  the'  Korea  purely  of  today  as  it  met 
the  eye  and  passed  to  the  understanding  that  I was  con- 
cerning myself  as  our  party  after  a good  night’s  rest  sallied 
forth  in  the  morning  for  a glimpse  of  Fusan.  Hailing 
kurumas  we  were  soon  on  our  way,  the  runners  making 
good  time. 

First  it  was  notable  that  the  authorities  are  hard  at  work 
improving  and  enlarging  the  harbour  accommodations, 
which  will  soon  include  a pier  for  vessels  up  to  thirty 
thousand  tons.  The  Japanese  have  taken  hold  of  this  port 
to  make  it  a great  commercial  gate  to  Asia.  Work  is  in 
progress  to  that  end  in  a dozen  directions,  and  if  a great 
commerce  can  be  coaxed  this  way  they  wiU  be  ready  for  it. 

The  government  railroad  that  now  runs  to  Seoul  and 
Antung  (connecting  there  with  the  South  Manchurian 
railroad  to  Mukden  and  so  to  Vladivostock,  Peking  or  to 
Moscow)  has  also  a branch  to  Gensan,  the  most  promising 
port  on  the  eastern  coast  line.  The  railroad  is  broad  gauge, 
making  the  cars  roomier  than  in  Japan,  where  the  rule  is 
narrow  gauge.  Other  branches  are  planned. 

There  are  more  Japanese  than  Koreans  in  Fusan,  and 
even  at  a first  glance  it  was  easy  to  differentiate — 26,000 
Japanese,  23,000  Koreans.  Fusan  for  long  has  been  settled 
by  trading  Japanese.  The  better  classes  of  Koreans  dis- 
dain trade  altogether,  preferring  as  elegant  an  idleness  as 
they  can  manage,  and  as  it  proved  they  can  manage  it  on 
very  little.  The  Japanese  quarter  of  Fusan  is  like  a bit  of 
Japan,  neat,  cleanly,  well-built,  while  the  Korean  quarter 
is  shabby,  dusty,  dirty,  tumbledown;  little  shops  huddled 
along  the  sides  of  the  streets,  their  wares  spread  out  on 
mats  in  front  of  them. 

Here  and  there  among  the  saunterers  one  saw  the  dis- 
tinctive white,  long-skirted  costume  of  the  Korean  men, 
while  the  poorer  working  men  wore  short  white  jackets 
and  short  white  trousers  with  a surprising  gap  between 


KOREA.  A MODEL  OF  COLONIAL  UPLIFT  343 


them.  A curious  fashion  among  the  married  women  who 
sport  long  puffy  white  petticoats  is  the  wearing  of  a short 
yoke  about  the  neck,  while  a wide  opening  displays  the" 
naked  breasts  in  their  entirety.  It  gave  to  my  unac- 
customed eyes  the  effect  of  a shocking  show-window.  The 
e.xposure  had  seldom  the  slightest  suggestion  of  the  beau- 
tiful,— rather  the  reverse.  The  theory,  I was  told,  is  that 
to  cover  the  breasts  is  to  poison  the  milk.  Some  promising- 
looking  women  wore  a light,  filmy  covering  over  their 
bosoms.  Koreans  are  generally  taller  than  Japanese,  more 
in  fact  like  Manchus  in  height,  stride  and  gait,  and  are 
a fairly  good-looking  people.  The  men  make  devoted 
husbands:  in  fact  an  exceedingly  voluptuous  uxoriousness 
is  charged  with  much  of  their  feebleness  of  character  and 
want  of  stamina.  Toil  of  one  kind  or  another  is  the  neces- 
sity of  their  existence,  and  they  are  to  be  seen,  men  and 
women,  everywhere  at  work  in  the  rice  fields  and  the  women 
besides  in  the  little  mud-walled  groups  of  grass-roofed  huts 
which  are  rudimentary  villages.  They  say  that  the  only 
set  enjoyment  these  peasants  know  is  to  lay  in  a supply  of 
cooked  rice,  when  husband  and  wife  give  up  work  as  long 
as  the  rice  lasts,  enjoying  the  luxury  of  idleness  for  days 
together. 

The  vegetable  and  fish  markets  were  crowded  with 
Koreans  and  Japanese  chaffering  and  chatting,  the  Koreans 
laughing  loudly  here  and  there  in  the  interchange  of  the 
hour  as  our  kurumas  struggled  through. 

The  present  condition  of  the  Fusanese  Koreans  is  de- 
scribed as  greatly  improved,  both  as  to  the  condition  of  the 
people  and  the  aspect  of  the  quarter,  over  the  look  of 
things  five  or  ten  years  ago.  This  change  is  reasonable, 
but  there  is  much  room  for  further  improvement. 

When  it  came  to  leaving  for  Seoul  it  was  a fine  train 
that  carried  us,  including  a dining  car  with  meals  for  one 
yen  and  one  and  one-half  yen,  not  perhaps  as  good  as  to 


344  JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 

cooking  and  service  as  in  Japan,  but  not  bad,  the  price 
considered. 

The  country  resembles  Japan,  but  the  vaUeys  are 
broader.  Cultivation  is  general  wherever  arable  land  is 
available.  The  peasants  were  harvesting  their  barley  crop 
or  planting  their  rice.  You  get  your  first  glimpse  of  the 
great  work  of  afforestation  in  progress  under  the  Japanese 
government. 

On  hundreds  of  hills  as  you  speed  along  you  see  literally 
thousands  of  small  black-looking  objects  scattered  over 
them  like  raisins  on  a plum  pudding.  These  are  young 
evergreens,  pines,  hemlock,  spruce,  firs  destined  to  redeem 
the  hills  of  their  long  bareness.  Once  a great  forest  land, 
it  had,  under  the  taxing  tyranny  of  the  Korean  kings, 
become  bare  as  the  back  of  a crab. 

The  last  mountain  tree  had  been  cut  down  centuries  ago. 
Hence  not  only  timber  scarcity,  but  a rainfall  without  any- 
thing to  hold  it  from  flooding  the  valleys.  It  will  surprise 
one  to  learn  that  in  two  years — 1911-12 — the  Japanese 
caused  the  planting  of  fifteen  million  young  trees,  and 
as  many  in  the  two  years  succeeding.  It  was  difiScult 
at  first  to  prevent  the  Koreans  from  stealing  and  burn- 
ing them  for  firewood;  but  they  stopped  it— Japanese 
fashion. 

It  is  a run  of  eleven  hours  to  Seoul,  which  we  reached 
before  dark,  driving  to  Sontag’s  Hotel,  which  in  the  days 
before  annexation  had  been  run  by  the  Korean  government 
as  a house  for  entertaining  foreigners  of  consequence  for 
whom  it  was  not  possible  to  make  provision  at  the  palaces. 
It  is  in  the  old  legation  quarter  and  nicely  situated  on 
rising  ground.  A new  and  fine  hotel  has  since  taken  its 
place  in  the  esteem  of  travellers.  A good  bed  after  a long 
railroad  journey  and  a light  supper  is  the  best  haven  in 
the  world.  You  sleep  without  dreams. 

Morning  in  the  Land  of  the  Morning  Calm  is  certainly 


KOREA,  A MODEL  OF  COLONIAL  UPLIFT  345 

delightful  at  this  time  of  year  in  Seoul.  (Pronounce  it 
Sowl  if  you  would  do  it  offhand,  but  if  you  want  to  be  very 
elegant  and  precise,  say  Sow-ool,  shortening  the  “oo”  until 
it  is  the  merest  murmur.  The  Japanese  never  get  it  right 
and  so  they  sidestep  it  by  calling  it  Keijo.)  The  air  is 
clear  and  cool,  the  sky  blue,  a softness  that  is  not  enervat- 
ing pervading  all — a climate  for  moving  in  a beatific  dream 
on  the  wings  of  morning.  Truly  one  walked  abroad,  with 
a lifting  sense,  and  making  one  long  for  that  dear  one  of 
all  the  world  to  share  the  pure  delight  of  it.  Sitting  one 
afternoon  on  the  porch  of  U.  S.  Consul-General  Miller’s 
house,  formerly  the  home  of  our  Legation,  with  that  grave, 
kindly  official  and  his  charming  wife,  the  picture  of  tall 
trees  rising  to  the  perfect  sky  across  the  stretch  of  a wide 
green  lawn  on  which  a colony  of  magpies  were  disporting 
themselves,  I did  enjoy  the  passing  of  time.  To  be  sure 
he  had  given  me  New  York  papers  newly  arrived,  the  first 
that  had  blessed  my  eyes  in  months. 

The  streets  away  from  the  legation  quarter  are  generally 
not  too  inviting.  The  Japanese  have,  however,  taken  hold 
with  surprising  firmness  and  are  metamorphosing  the  town, 
making  broad  avenues  and  laying  the  foundations  of  a fine 
city.  These  evidences  fix  themselves  pleasantly  on  your 
senses  in  this  morning  calm. 

Note  this  stately  Korean  approaching  you.  His  long, 
spotless  white  skirts  are  swinging  with  his  long  stride.  His 
curious  black  gauze  hat  with  the  truncated  cone  crown  and 
flat  brim  encaging  his  quaint  and  curious  topknot  is  worn 
with  Malvolian  swagger.  His  long  pipestem  is  held  now 
like  a court  chamberlain’s  wand,  now  like  a marshal’s 
baton.  His  grey  moustache  and  silver-wire  chin  whisker 
speak  for  a long  life  of  dandyism;  but  his  expression  of 
well-bred  scorn  of  you  and  all  of  your  belongings  is  the 
delighting  capstone  of  his  rooted  nationality  and  haughty 
conservatism. 


346 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


Dozens  and  dozens  of  him  you  meet  and  presently  you 
pass  a Japanese  not  much  more  than  half  his  height  just 
hurrying  about  his  business,  and  in  every  line  of  face  and 
figure  you  recognize  the  why  and  wherefore  of  this 
sixteen  millions  of  Koreans  being  led  back  to  real  manhood 
by  a handful  of  the  little  islanders.  It  is  yesterday  and 
today.  There  are  in  fact  few  such  pathetic  shams  as  this 
kind  of  Korean  gentleman. 

From  the  precarious  rental  of  some  small  house  or  field 
he  may  have  an  income  of  twenty  cents  a day.  It  is 
enough.  He  inhabits  some  hovel  away  from  the  main 
streets.  There  his  wife  toils  all  day  washing  and  starching 
his  skirts,  gathering  dung  fuel,  cooking  their  meagre  food. 
His  daily  swagger  down  the  streets  is  his  joy  in  life.  For 
hours  he  will  squat  on  his  heels  smoking  his  ridiculous  little 
pipe  at  intervals  and  jabbering  incessantly  with  a group  of 
his  own  kind;  then  away  he  goes,  darts  suddenly  down  a 
side  street  and  if  you  follow  quickly  may  see  him  stoop 
double  befoul  a poor  hut  and  disappear  in  the  bosom  of 
his  family.  He  is  old  Korea. 

But  I like  him  in  his  knightly  moment  of  disdain.  He 
fits  in  with  the  great  monumental  city  gates,  with  the 
mighty  palace  frontals  that  tell  of  the  guilty  old  empire 
that  wasted  Korea  to  the  bone  and  forced  a soft  degeneracy 
upon  a race  of  warriors,  poets,  scholars,  artists,  artificers 
and  patient  toilers.  Short  of  admiring  him,  you  feel  that 
he  would  prefer  you  to  dislike  him  very  much.  Do  any- 
thing but  pass  him  unnoticed. 

Here  in  Seoul,  with  its  population  of  nigh  quarter  of  a 
million  souls,  of  which  barely  fifty  thousand  are  Japanese, 
which  has  been  so  long  the  capital  of  the  country  and  the 
seat  of  its  native  emperor  and  court,  there  are  naturally 
many  well-to-do  Koreans  and  nobles  who  exemplify  the 
leisure  class  with  more  real  distinction — men  of  parts  and 
education,  if  of  no  more  value  to  the  Korea  of  today  than 


KOREA,  A MODEL  OF  COLONIAL  UPLIFT  347 

their  congener  of  the  copper-lined  pockets  and  empty  head 
whom  we  have  just  passed  on  the  street. 

In  the  afternoon  you  may  see  on  the  principal  streets 
specimens  aplenty  of  the  younger  generation  of  these  titled 
and  elegant  idlers.  They  are  loungers,  frivolous,  proud, 
jocular  by  turns,  recalling  to  me  the  young  flaneurs  of  the 
second  French  Empire,  who  with  their  female  parasites 
adorned  the  Champs  Elysees  and  the  grand  boulevards  in 
the  years  immediately  before  Sedan.  It  is,  however,  after 
Korea’s  debacle  and  in  the  face  of  her  Japanese  resurrec- 
tion that  these  survivals  flaunt  their  gay  ineffectiveness. 

The  Japanese  surely  represent  the  commercial  vigour  of 
Seoul.  There  are  only  about  twenty-five  hundred  Euro- 
peans and  Chinese,  including  the  consulates.  There  are 
Korean  shops  and  stores  without  number.  Koreans  in  the 
working  crafts  are  nevertheless  many,  and  among  them 
many  of  real  capacity.  These  are  coming  to  their  own 
under  the  new  conditions. 

A Korean  mining  engineer,  a man  of  strong  frame  and 
handsome  face,  was  pointed  out  to  me  at  the  hotel  as  just 
returned  from  the  north,  where  the  mines  are  situated. 
He  earns  a salary  of  ten  thousand  yen  a year,  and  has  the 
unlimited  confidence  of  the  mine  owners,  who  are  largely 
foreign.  Indeed  at  the  snug  hostelry  in  the  evening  I was 
for  hours  regaled  by  an  American  official  of  the  robust  type 
— the  Far  Western  sheriff  and  marshal  type — who  talked 
at  length  on  the  virtues,  aspirations  and  achievements  of 
native  Koreans  whom  he  had  met  and  cherished. 

Before  retiring  I was  in  receipt  one  evening  of  an  invi- 
tation to  lunch  the  next  day  with  the  Governor-General, 
Count  Terauchi,  at  his  official  residence,  which  in  other 
days  was  the  home  of  the  Japanese  Embassy.  Today  he  is 
Marquis  Terauchi  and  Prime  Minister  of  Japan.  At 
twelve-thirty  next  day  the  Governor’s  carriage  called  for 
my  party  and  it  was  something  of  a drive  through  the 


348 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


town  to  the  Governor ’s  house,  where  a host  of  servants  met 
us  at  the  steps.  It  has  a handsome  entrance  gate  of 
hammered  iron  and  stone  pillars.  The  house  itself  is  of 
unpretentious  “Western”  architecture,  roomy  inside  and 
furnished  in  the  sober  good  taste  common  to  the  best 
Japanese  houses.  The  furniture  included  some  hand- 
somely carved  Chinese  pieces,  and  there  was  some  fine 
Chinese  and  Korean  pottery. 

Mr.  Seiki  Hishida,  one  of  the  Governor’s  secretaries,  a 
travelled  man,  affable,  portly,  painstaking,  punctilious  and 
wearing  a small  moustache,  met  us  at  the  door  and  pre- 
sented us  to  our  host,  the  Governor-General,  Count 
Terauchi,  who,  dressed  in  soldierly  khaki  and  fianked  by 
a young-looking  Major-General  and  a group  of  young, 
bright-faced  army  officers,  received  us  with  great  courtesy 
and  conducted  us  to  a large  salon,  w'here  we  met  United 
States  Consul-General  Rainsford  MiUer,  a Japanese  jour- 
nalist and  some  others  of  the  English-speaking  variety. 
Seating  me  near  him,  we  had  a somewhat  formal  con- 
versation in  English,  Mr.  Hishida  interpreting  with  a 
pardonable  flourish. 

Count  Terauchi  is  a massive  man  with  the  best  diplo- 
matic manner  of  the  military  statesman  type.  His  head  is 
large  and  of  a long  oval,  rather  bald  over  the  forehead  and 
crown  and  wearing  moustache  and  beard.  He  did  not  quite 
look  his  sixty-two  years,  which  include  forty-three  years  of 
active  service  of  his  country.  I simply  knew  then  that  he 
had  been  militarily  prominent  in  early  life  and  had  reached 
and  held  the  high  and  onerous  post  of  Imperial  War 
Minister  for  eight  years,  during,  preceding  and  following 
the  tremendous  fighting  period  of  the  Russo-Japanese  war. 
He  shakes  hands  using  his  left,  a reminder  of  a battle- 
wound  in  the  right  arm  in  the  civil  wars  of  his  boyhood 
when  Japan  was  coming  to  her  own. 

To  any  one  capable  of  gauging  the  measure  of  that 


1.  A SUBURB  OF  SEOUL.  CITY  GATE  IX  DISTANCE 

2.  KOREAN  COURT  DANCING  GIRL  AND  SERVANT 

3.  TYPICAL  OLD  KOREAN  SWELL 


1.  NAMDAI.MOX  (OR  SOREIMOX).  THE  SOl'THERX  GATE  OF 

SEOUL 

2.  TODAIMOX  DORI  (STREET),  SEOUL.  RUXXIXG  TO  THE 

EASTERN'  GATE 


KOREA,  A MODEL  OP  COLONIAL  UPLIFT  349 


gigantic  task  this  was  passport  enough  to  respect  for  his 
brain  capacity  and  the  tough  fibre  of  his  mental  quality. 
That  his  face  expressed  great  strength  or  urbanity  at  will 
would  be  natural.  That  his  very  force  constrained  him  to 
a fine  courtesy  was  soon  visible.  His  four  years’  adminis- 
tration of  Chosen  (the  Japanese  name  for  Korea,  signifying 
the  Faultless  Clear  Morning)  was  another  title,  perhaps  as 
great,  to  respect  for  the  ability  to  organize  and  to  govern. 

I had  been  reading  some  of  the  Chosen  government 
reports  with  their  open  statistical  and  detailed  setting  forth 
of  the  governmental  activities  since  1910  to  date  of  the 
annexation  and  was  in  some  position  to  talk  it  over  as  far 
as  patience  would  permit  him,  but  luncheon  was  announced 
and,  about  a dozen  in  all,  we  proceeded  to  the  table  laid 
elsewhere. 

Various  wines  were  served,  but  when  the  champagne  had 
been  poured  the  Count  raised  his  glass  by  way  of  toast  and 
wished  me  a pleasant  trip  to  China  and  the  Liaotung 
Peninsula,  to  which  I replied,  wishing  continued  success  to 
his  high  administration.  Noticing  that  his  wine  was  faintly 
tinged  with  claret,  I said  to  my  neighbour  that  surely  the 
Count  must  have  learned  that  particular  blend  in  Paris, 
in  Paris  of  long  ago. 

“Oh,  yes,’’  replied  Mr.  Hishida,  “the  Count  was  long  in 
Paris  when  he  was  a young  man,  yes,  and  French  he  speaks 
perfectly.” 

So,  across  the  white  damask  of  this  silver  and  crystal- 
garnished  table  in  a palace  in  the  Land  of  the  Morning 
Calm,  at  the  table  of  a government  General  of  a proud 
Oriental  Empire  flashed  a sudden  ruby  beam  that  had 
danced  and  sparkled  on  many  a festive  occasion  above  the 
board  what  time  youth  and  folly  clinked  glasses  in  the 
Latin  quarter  of  Paris — nigh  half  a century  ago!  Our 
host  doubtless  wondered  at  the  joy  that  lit  my  face  during 
the  rest  of  the  repast. 


350 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


For  coffee  and  cigars  we  repaired  to  the  salon,  and  as 
the  Count  lounged  easily  in  an  ample  armchair  puffing 
contentedly,  and  sending  forth  generous  clouds  from  a fat 
Havana,  he  remarked,  stopping  to  look  at  the  cigar  in  the 
fond  way  of  old  smokers:  “I  stopped  smoking  for  nine 
years  and  only  resumed  a month  ago.”  He  had  certainly 
resumed  with  the  certainty  of  the  veteran.  May  I add  that 
he  was  in  veteran  company.  As  with  his  smoking  so  with 
his  French.  The  Count  had  begun  the  conversation  saying 
that  his  French  was  rusty.  It  was  not ; it  was  fluent  and 
he  seemed  pleased  to  revive  the  chronicle  of  old  times  in 
France.  Then  the  French  Empire  as  the  military  and 
artistic  nation  of  Europe  held  eminence  in  Japan.  Thither 
he  had  gone  to  study  military  science  and  he  loved  Paris 
as  I did.  After  various  advances  in  army  rank  he  had 
returned  to  Paris  a Major,  as  Military  Attache  to  the 
Japanese  Legation  there  from  1882  to  1885.  Thereafter 
followed  successive  advances  in  the  higher  army  grades, 
developing  ability  at  each  upward  step. 

The  Count  is  not  a talker  with  the  gusto  of  Count 
Okuma,  but  talks  freely  enough.  In  reference  to  his  work 
in  Chosen  he  laid  the  greatest  stress  on  the  official  en- 
deavours to  better  agriculture  among  the  legions  of 
farmers.  Under  the  old  Korean  conditions  all  progress, 
all  enterprise  was  penalized.  On  the  slightest  evidence  of 
success  in  farming  the  farmer’s  rent  or  taxes  or  both  were 
increased.  The  situation  in  fact  was  as  grave  and  as 
ferocious  to  the  farmers  as  it  had  been  in  Ireland  before 
the  Parnell  era.  Now  the  yield  of  rice,  for  instance,  had 
been  increased  thirty  per  cent,  from  the  same  land  area. 

‘ ‘ Afforestation,  as  we  are  carrying  it  on,  ’ ’ said  the  Count, 
“having  planted  perhaps  twenty  million  trees,  is  destined 
to  modify  the  wasting  effects  of  the  rainfall  until  Chosen 
shall  be  a land  of  heavily-wooded  hills  and  super-fertile 
vales  from  north  to  south.” 


KOREA,  A MODEL  OF  COLONIAL  UPLIFT  351 

To  restore  habits  of  industry  to  the  natives  was  just  as 
steadily  their  object,  he  said,  holding  out  safety  to  their 
savings  through  government  banks,  promoting  all  enter- 
prise possible  in  the  small  manufactures  peculiar  to  the 
people,  and  reviving  through  technical  schools  their  ancient 
industries. 

“All  this,”  he  said,  “has  to  go  slowly.  Confidence  is  a 
plant  of  slow  growth.  The  idling  class  is  a great  draw- 
back and  an  evil  example.  Their  scorn  of  labour,  which 
is  shown  in  their  long  finger  nails,  is  held  onto  through 
every  privation.  The  prosperity  of  others  lessens,  however, 
their  influence  daily.  The  change  must  move  slowly.  The 
thing  is  to  keep  it  moving  wisely  and  constantly.” 

The  question  of  the  missionary  schools  in  Korea  was  only 
incidentally  touched  on  in  our  conversation.  Under  the 
old  dynasty  the  missionaries  had  a clear  field  and  no  com- 
petition from  the  government.  Hence  they  made  headway 
with  a growing  popularity  and  attendance.  It  was  perhaps 
inevitable  when  Japan  took  over  the  country  in  1910  and 
indeed  during  Prince  Ito’s  resident  governorship  that  the 
Koreans  who  clung  to  the  old  rule  should  use  the  school 
associations  to  an  extent  as  a cover  for  anti- Japanese 
propaganda.  There  were  it  may  be  recalled  unrest  and 
unprofitable  disturbances.  An  attempt  was  prepared  on 
Count  Terauchi’s  life,  and  arrests  were  numerous.  Un- 
questionably the  missionaries  were  innocent  of  all  partici- 
pation, but  it  did  not  save  them  from  suspicion,  naturally. 
The  schools  were  now  operating,  and  relations  were  no 
longer  strained,  if  not  cordial  on  either  side. 

“I  have  only  one  word  to  say  on  that  matter,”  said 
Count  Terauchi,  “patience.” 

One  could  linger  long  in  Seoul  with  pleasure  and  profit 
to  the  traveller.  There  is  much  of  the  intimate  to  see  and 
to  enjoy,  second-hand  shops  wherein  to  capture  brass-bound 
coffers  and  other  curios,  interesting  streets  to  linger 


352 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


through,  vistas  to  take  in  and  long  remember,  customs  and 
habits  of  a quaint  people  to  observe.  I paid  a day’s  visit 
by  rail  to  Chemulpo,  the  open  port  where  the  Russo- 
Japanese  war  began  with  the  sinking  of  a couple  of 
Russian  ships  by  a vastly  superior  Japanese  fleet  under 
Admiral  Uriu,  a gentleman  of  quiet,  gentle  bearing  whom 
I had  met  pleasantly  in  Tokyo  and  who  was  later  most 
acceptably  of  the  Japan  commission  to  the  exposition  at 
San  Francisco.  Chemulpo  when  its  mole  and  wet  docks 
are  finished  will  be  quite  a port.  At  present  it  cannot 
boast  of  much  commerce.  It  is  really  a port  of  the  future. 
The  residence  quarter  is  on  a highland  or  bluff  back  of  the 
sea  front  with  lots  of  climbing  to  get  anywhere.  Here  also 
are  most  of  the  large  business  agencies — Standard  Oil  and 
others.  The  white  community  is  small  and  keeps  to  itself. 
They  have  a country  club  on  a higher  eminence  with  golf 
links.  They  lead  an  isolated  life,  but  keep  a cheery  face 
to  it,  and  welcome  the  rare  visitors  with  effusion  and  cock- 
tails. Their  great  treat  is  a run  to  Seoul,  and  once  in  a 
long  while  a furlough  to  the  homeland,  be  it  America  or 
somewhere  in  Europe.  Few  as  they  were  they  were  all 
sorts — Americans,  English,  Irish,  Scotch,  French  and — 
German. 

At  every  turn  one  met  some  evidence  of  the  intensity  of 
the  effort  Japan  is  making  for  the  betterment  of  the  land 
and  the  people.  Said  a man  of  missionary  connections 
whom  I later  met  in  Peking: 

“Oh,  yes;  I have  no  doubt,  but  all  these  activities  are 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Japanese  settlers  and  not  for  the 
natives.” 

“No,”  I replied;  “it  is  nearer  the  reverse.  All  I noted 
was  for  the  native  benefit ; the  Japanese  settlers  the  authori- 
ties seem  to  regard  as  able  to  take  care  of  themselves.  ’ ’ 

He  professed  missionary  surprise,  which  is  an  article 
notable  for  a polite  smile  and  a contradictory  lifting  of  the 


KOREA,  A MODEL  OF  COLONIAL  UPLIFT  353 


eyebrows — a nice  Pharisaical  expression ; but  it  was  typical 
of  an  attitude  that  prevails  among  the  English-speaking 
people  in  China — a mental  resolve  to  believe  ill  of  the 
Japanese,  to  deny  them  decent  motives  for  anything. 

The  comprehensive  governmental  reports  give  such  a 
body  of  information  that  it  would  be  futile  to  attempt  to 
give  a full  idea  of  these  activities  in  a short  space.  Here 
are  a few  points  summarized: 

Out  of  a total  revenue  of  yen  58,873,403  for  1915-16 
Japan  contributed  $8,000,000.  Exports  have  quadrupled 
in  ten  years ; imports  have  increased  two  and  a half  times. 
Japan  takes  82  per  cent,  of  the  exports  and  furnishes  70 
per  cent,  of  the  imports.  China  takes  11.3  per  cent,  and 
sends  13.6  per  cent.  The  United  States  took  in  1915 
$16,161  of  exports  and  sent  to  Korea  $1,966,920  of  our 
goods,  a large  falling  off  from  the  $3,924,811  of  1913. 

Japan  has  established  three  hundred  and  sixty-seven 
common  schools,  fifty-three  industrial  technical  schools  and 
a dozen  experimental  agricultural  stations. 

On  a rainy  morning  rich  with  sudden  refreshing  April 
showers  that  dissolved  magically  in  the  sun,  we  ran  in 
kurumas  to  the  outskirts  of  Seoul  to  visit  the  Korean 
Industrial  School,  one  of  the  most  significant  of  all 
the  Japanese  uplifting  agencies  for  the  young  Koreans — ^to 
bring  back  to  them  arts  and  crafts  that  once  were  prac- 
tised in  Korea  and  make  them  once  more  part  of  the 
economic  life  of  today.  The  building  we  found  to  be  large 
if  unpretentious  architecturally.  It  was  really  a delight- 
ful experience.  The  assiduous  director,  Mr.  M.  Toyonaga, 
received  us  with  a polite  Japanese  smile  on  his  rather  care- 
worn face,  and  at  once  began  to  show  us  around.  He  had 
one  hundred  and  eighty  Korean  boys  ranging  from  sixteen 
to  twenty-three  years  in  his  charge.  They  were  away  from 
the  classrooms  at  lunch  when  we  arrived,  which  gave  us  a 
better  chance  to  look  things  over.  Spread  over  quite  an 


354 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


area  were  workshops  fitted  with  the  most  modern  imple- 
ments and  apparatus  for  work  in  cabinet  making,  car- 
pentry, weaving,  paper-making,  ironwork,  bronze-work, 
soap-making  and  pottery  and  a studio  for  designing. 
Nothing  could  be  better.  There  were  instructors  in  every 
branch,  and  the  unfinished  work  lying  on  the  benches  and 
wheels  showed  how  far  the  boys,  young  men  rather,  had 
advanced  beyond  the  tyro  stage.  We  went  then  to  an 
exhibition  hall  upstairs  filled  with  finished  specimens  of 
their  work.  These  were  sold  at  intervals  at  modest  prices 
to  help  the  school  which  is  otherwise  government-endowed. 
I bought  a wonderful  small  bronze  ash-receiver  on  the 
model  of  a rice-pot  and  the  director  presented  me  with  a 
small  celadon  jar  in  porcelain  inlaid  in  white,  copied  from 
the  ancient  tomb  porcelains  of  Korea — a little  gem.  In 
the  studio  we  found  an  old  Korean  artist  at  work  on  a 
figure  design,  a sad-eyed  man  who  did  not  view  us  with 
apparent  pleasure,  but  a good  word  for  his  work  bright- 
ened him.  It  was  good  too.  He  was  old  Korea.  By  now 
the  sounds  of  hammer  and  throb  of  engines  told  us  that 
the  young  workers  had  returned  and  again  we  went 
through  the  shops  and  classrooms  ahum  with  work.  A 
good-looking,  open-faced  intelligent  lot  they  proved.  They 
learn  quickly  and  are  very  orderly.  As  the  most  novel 
thing  we  saw,  I enjoyed  most  the  making  of  paper  by  hand. 
Shaking  the  film  of  pulp  on  a tray,  and  lo  a sheet  of  paper. 

For  the  farmers  Japan  has  taken  strong  grip  of  the  vital 
matter  of  irrigation,  increasing  yield  and  cultivable  area 
in  all  parts.  The  planting  of  cotton  in  southern  Chosen 
has  advanced  from  a product  of  33,000  pounds  in  1906  to 
10,000,000  pounds  in  1912,  with  the  expectation  of  133,- 
000,000  pounds  by  1917. 

In  silk  culture  Japan  has  furnished  the  farmers  with 
60,000  broods  of  silkworm  eggs  and  in  three  years  has 
distributed  10,000,000  seedling  mulberry  trees,  showing  in 


KOREA,  A MODEL  OF  COLONIAL  UPLIFT  355 

this  lucrative  “side  industry”  an  increase  in  the  number 
of  families  engaged  in  it  from  76,000  in  1910  to  177,320 
families  in  1914.  In  all  farm  products  the  increase  has 
been  phenomenal. 

River  and  harbour  improvements,  wharves,  street  car 
lines  and  railways  are  all  extending  in  scope  and  utility. 
Lumber  preservation,  tree  felling  on  a scientific  plan,  salt 
making,  ginseng  growing  and  collecting  are  all  in  the  grip 
of  governmental  urging.  A force  of  13,000  police  and 
gendarmerie  has  been  organized,  of  which  7,316  are  native 
assistants.  The  decadent  Buddhist  temples  to  the  number 
of  1,400  have  been  reorganized.  In  fact  no  summary  will 
quite  do  justice  to  the  widespread  work  so  intensively 
followed  up. 

Japan,  so  far  as  I can  see,  makes  no  h>T)oeritical  pre- 
tence about  all  this.  It  is  bent  on  making  its  work  in 
Korea  or,  as  it  says,  in  Chosen,  the  best  model  of  modern, 
liberal,  progressive,  productive  colonization  in  the  world, 
all  for  the  glory  and  honour  of  Japan.  Incidentally, 
indeed  as  an  absolutely  necessary  part  of  it,  the  native 
population  must  be  heartened,  uplifted  physically,  ma- 
terially, mentally,  spiritually. 

And  to  all  this  what  is  the  attitude  of  the  Koreans?  At 
first — under  the  protectorate — it  was  sullen,  silent,  impo- 
tent hostility — an  abnormally  vain  nation  humiliated 
beyond  words.  Then  came  feeble  sputters  of  random 
opposition,  a camorra  without  teeth.  Later,  with  annexa- 
tion, came  a still  more  hopeless  non  possumiis  attitude  with 
the  elders,  but  a wiser  thought  arose  among  the  younger 
that  herein  lay  the  way  to  resurrection. 

And  every  day  the  hope  and  the  benefit  became  clearer. 
Today  the  Koreans,  heartened  and  bettered  materially,  are 
falling  in  with  the  situation  and  marching  ahead. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 


KOREAN  PALACES  AND  ANTIQUES 

A visit  to  the  palaces  of  the  deposed  emperors — How  the  fallen 
emperors  live — A glimpse  at  Korea’s  history — The  palace  of 
Prince  Li — Wonderful  Mr.  Suyimatsu — At  the  museum  of 
antique  art — Celadon  pottery  from  the  graves  of  centuries 
ago — Finding  the  pieces — A story  of  archaeological  detection 
— The  murder  of  the  Empress  and  the  great  abandoned  palace 
— A melancholy  sight. 

Accompanied  by  the  sagacious  Mr.  Hishida  our  party 
enjoyed  on  the  afternoon  of  our  luncheon  with  Count 
Terauchi  the  privilege  of  a visit  to  the  vast  palaces  in- 
habited by  and  those  abandoned  of  the  Korean  monarchs. 
Two  are  occupied  by  the  deposed — one  by  the  latest  of  the 
Korean  line,  now  Prince  Li,  and  the  other  by  his  father  and 
imperial  predecessor,  called  Prince  Yi.  The  Japanese 
government  allows  them  an  income  of  one  million  yen,  the 
same  as  they  enjoyed  before  annexation.  They  retain  their 
guards  of  Koreans  and  native  servants  and  palace  officials 
and  enjoy  the  freedom  of  their  spacious  grounds  and  the 
city  and  suburbs  whenever  they  choose. 

Seldom,  however,  are  they  seen  abroad. 

Nothing  more  mournful  than  an  Oriental  palace  in  decay 
and  abandonment  can  well  be  conceived.  Here  it  is  raw 
and  recent.  They  are  not  in  ruins ; they  are  simply  empty, 
their  high  estate  vanished,  their  pillared  halls  vacant,  their 
thrones  dust-covered,  their  hinges  rusty  and  creaking,  their 
garniture  faded,  the  tall  grass  waving  as  it  springs  between 
the  stone  and  marble  pavements  of  the  courtyards  and  wide 
and  deep  quadrangles  that  stretch  one  after  the  other  for 

866 


KOREAN  PALACES  AND  ANTIQUES  357 

a mile  maybe  from  the  towering  monumental  gate  of 
entrance  between  halls  of  audience  and  imperial  offices 
back  to  the  residence  of  the  monarehs  themselves.  The 
mighty  nature  of  the  structures  telling  of  power  and 
ancient  art,  the  picture  of  their  import  in  the  recent  days 
of  their  magnificent  use,  peopled  by  an  army  of  proud 
retainers,  armed  guards,  servants,  officials,  courtiers, 
nobles,  ministers  came  by  contrast  quickly  to  mind.  All 
gone.  The  silence,  the  stillness  ached  with  murmur  echoed 
from  the  past  as  of  yesterday. 

They  say  the  lion  and  the  lizard  keep 
The  halls  where  Jamshyd  gloried  and  drank  deep, 

And  Bahrain,  the  great  hunter,  the  wild  ass 

Stamps  o’er  his  head,  but  cannot  break  bis  sleep. 

Here  is  no  Jamshyd,  no  conquering  Alexander,  only  the 
perished  lustre  of  a degenerate  line,  soon  to  be  merged 
altogether  in  the  citizenship  of  a resurrected  people,  yet 
it  carries  the  inevitable  stamp  of  the  tragic  just  as  surely 
as  the  deeper  desolation  of  the  perished  empires  of  three 
thousand  years  ago  on  the  great  Asian  plateau  behind 
China  and  Mongolia  so  much  further  to  the  west  of  this 
borderland  of  the  Pacific. 

But  the  gardens  and  grounds  still  are  green  and  fresh 
and  fragrant,  and  the  warm  afternoon  passed  pleasantly 
in  their  drives  and  walks  finally  arriving  at  the  museum  of 
ancient  Korean  art,  where  in  charge  of  Mr.  Suyimatsu, 
its  learned,  enterprising  director,  we  examined  its  many 
treasures. 

There  is  no  need  to  write  the  history  of  Korea  here,  but 
it  is  as  well  to  recall  that  she  had  been  an  autonomous 
power  from  the  dawui  of  history,  ruled  it  is  true  by 
successive  absolute  dynasties,  but  of  her  own  race.  Some- 
times China  held  her  as  at  least  a tributary  state  under 
her  suzerainty.  Sometimes  Japan  assumed  to  have  such 


358 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


control,  but  always  Korea  remained  in  the  end  mistress 
in  her  own  house.  The  end  of  the  last  century  practically 
closed  that  period.  The  idea  of  emergence  from  her  back- 
ward condition  of  Hermit  Kingdom  under  Japanese  pres- 
sure had  come  too  late.  China  as  well  as  Japan  had  per- 
ceived that  she  was  worth  possessing  strategically  as  well 
as  politically.  “She  is  a sword  pointed  at  the  heart  of 
Japan,”  said  one  sage  of  Nippon.  China  wanted  her  as 
a “buffer  state”  under  her  control.  A diplomatic  battle 
of  wits  began  at  Seoul.  The  helpless  Korean  government 
appealed  alternately  to  Peking  and  Tokyo.  China  sent 
troops  to  put  down  a rebellion.  Japan  sent  troops  to  Seoul 
to  guard  its  Legation  which  had  suffered  at  the  hands  of 
a mob.  Out  of  this  condition  grew  the  China- Japanese 
war,  Korea  ready  the  stake.  China,  soon  whipped  to  a 
standstill,  agreed  that  Korea  should  thenceforth  be  under 
the  protection  of  Japan.  From  that  hour  Korea’s  inde- 
pendence vanished.  It  was  seen  what  a mere  shell  of 
power  she  was.  The  once  efficient,  manly  race  had  be- 
come a nation  of  effeminates.  Taxation  wasted  on  court 
favourites  and  spent  idly  had  sapped  the  life-blood  of  the 
people.  They  were  utterly  powerless  to  effect  their  own 
release  from  domestic  tyranny  much  less  make  any  show 
of  strength  against  external  enemies.  Her  Imperial  House 
had  ruled  Korea  for  over  half  a thousand  years,  but  at  the 
last  showed  neither  skill  nor  courage  in  disentangling  her 
from  the  meshes  she  found  around  her.  Russia,  too,  began 
knocking  ominously  at  her  door,  and,  unhappily  for  Korea, 
knocked  elsewhere  to  the  arousing  of  Japan.  And  so  the 
Russo-Japanese  war  that  led  to  the  overthrow  of  Russia 
was  fought,  and  Korea  was  put  completely  in  the  hands  of 
Japan.  By  1910  the  sulkj'  attitude  of  the  Koreans  made 
Japan  resolve  to  take  Korea  over  bodily  and  proclaimed 
her  annexation  with  none  to  say  her  nay.  Her  imperial 
family  were  curtly,  formally  deposed,  and  the  land  became 


iHt  DEl’ObEU  EMl’EROR  OF  KOREA,  NOW  KNOWN  AS  PRINCE 
LI,  AND  LIVING  IN  HIS  PALACE  AT  SEOUL 


I.  COURT  OF  GENERAL  AUDIENCE  IN  DESERTED  PALACE, 
SEOUL.  NOTE  THE  MARBLE  BALUSTRADE  AND  GRASS-GROWN 
COURT 

2.  PALACE  WHERE  DEPOSED  KOREAN  MONARCH  LIVES 


KOREAN  PALACES  AND  ANTIQUES  359 

known  in  Japanese  documents  as  Chosen.  It  was  in  the 
course  of  the  recent  history  thus  outlined  that  the  tragic 
murder  of  the  Korean  Empress  occurred  upon  which  the 
great  imperial  palace  was  abandoned  by  the  old  Emperor 
— the  culmination  of  a series  of  involved  Korean  court 
intrigues  never  yet  revealed  in  their  entirety.  Monsieur 
Brieux,  the  French  dramatist,  who  made  a tour  of  the  East 
in  1912  gave  the  murder  a religious  colour.  It  was  a 
bloody,  remorseless  deed,  however  originating.  Hard  upon 
her  falling  beneath  the  strokes  of  her  assassins  was  to  come 
the  fall  of  the  imperial  house,  forerunner  of  many  such  of 
greater  note  to  follow.  China,  Russia — who  knows? 

Enough  of  attempts  at  historic  interpretation.  The 
story  of  my  afternoon  at  Seoul  among  the  palaces  of  the 
fallen  may  best  perhaps  be  pursued  in  a few  pages  from 
my  diary  as  I jotted  it  down  at  the  time : 

“Our  first  visit  was  to  the  palace  of  the  deposed 
Emperor,  now  known  as  Prince  Li.  Of  course  we  did  not 
enter  the  portion  he  was  occupying  and  where  he  lives, 
surrounded  by  his  own  native  attendants  and  servants  and 
with  a company  of  native  soldiers  and  police  to  guard 
him — or  keep  up  a sort  of  phantom  state.  He  is  at  liberty 
to  go  out  of  the  palace,  but  very  seldom  stirs  abroad.  He 
has  space  for  all  sorts  of  diversions  in  the  palace  gardens 
which  are  very  large.  Prince  Ito  when  he  was  Governor 
before  the  annexation  in  1910,  had  a fine  roadway  over  a 
mile  long  constructed  within  the  park  where  the  Prince 
can  drive.  There  is  a Japanese  pavilion,  a Chinese  pavilion 
and  various  small  pavilions  through  the  grounds,  as  well 
as  a large  conservatory.  Two  or  three  times  a week  he 
gives  luncheons  or  dinners — once  a week  to  the  elder 
Korean  statesmen.  He  likes  to  give  luneheons  in  the  con- 
servatory whieh  is  high  with  tall  banana  trees,  and  he  has 
the  table  set  in  winter  around  the  fountain  in  the  centre : 
in  summer  near  it.  Often  Count  Terauchi  dines  with  him. 


360 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


The  Prince  dresses  in  the  Korean  fashion  in  the  palace, 
but  wears  a general ’s  uniform  when  he  goes  out  or  receives. 

“His  father,  the  abdicated  Emperor,  lives  in  another 
palace  near  the  Legation  quarter  some  distance  off. 

“The  approach  to  the  palace  has  been  much  improved 
since  the  annexation.  In  fact.  Prince  Ito  had  mainly 
carried  it  out  before  that. 

‘ ‘ The  entrance  gate  of  Prince  Li ’s  palace  is  fine.  It  rests 
on  a substructure  of  granite  pierced  by  three  arches,  and 
has  two  towering  roofs  much  in  the  Japan  temple  Style 
(adopted  probably  from  Korea),  that  is,  with  projecting 
curved  eaves.  It  is  very  massive  and  impressive.  Inside 
is  a vast  quadrangle,  on  each  side  of  which  were  rooms  for 
guards  or  servants,  but  this  space  is  now  converted  into 
long  passages  covered  with  a sort  of  green  linoleum.  At 
the  back  of  the  quadrangle  rises  a stone  platform — where 
the  Emperor  gave  audience — approached  by  steps,  and  with 
another  two-roofed  gate  rising  high  behind  it  and  con- 
taining the  inner  hall  of  audience.  When  audience  was 
given  the  court,  guards  and  servants  mustered  in  lines 
marked  by  two  lines  of  low  granite  monuments  inscribed 
with  ideographs.  These  have  been  removed  to  the  sides 
of  the  quadrangle  and  a fountain  now  stands  in  the  centre. 

“The  Hall  of  Audience  is  very  fine.  There  are  twelve 
pillars  of  single  boles  of  pine  in  Indian  red  lacquer  that 
rise  fully  fifty  feet  to  the  roof,  and  give  great  dignity  to 
the  interior.  The  decoration  of  the  upper  woodwork, 
carved  in  the  Korean  style,  is  painted  in  many  colours, 
the  prevailing  tone  being  a celadon  grey  with  red  and 
black  (much  the  colouring  of  the  under  side  of  the 
pagoda  at  Nikko  which  tinting  also  was  probably  Korean 
in  origin),  and  giving  lightness.  The  lighting  is  effective 
from  high  latticed  windows.  There  are  many  large  elec- 
troliers, decorated  with  yellow  and  red  (Spain’s  colours) 
silk  shades  with  a flaring  effect.  The  throne  stood  opposite 


KOREAN  PALACES  AND  ANTIQUES 


361 


the  front  entrance  under  a showy  baldachin,  beneath  which 
is  a showy  picture  of  two  phoenixes  by  a Japanese  artist. 
Two  gilt  armchairs  represent  the  thrones.  They  are 
modern  affairs,  not  the  real  ones. 

“Beyond  this  gate,  within  another  enclosure  is  the  actual 
residence.  The  Prince ’s  abode  and  that  of  the  Princess  are 
notable  from  the  fact  that  there  is  no  heavy  crown  on  the 
rooftree — as  there  must  be  nothing  weighty  between  him 
and  heaven!  It  is  not  the  place  to  dilate  on  the  impli- 
cations of  fallen  emperors,  but  here  is  certainly  a picture ! 
He  is  now  only  forty-four  years  old,  but  is  so  enfeebled  by 
indulgence  and  the  Oriental  sycophancy  surrounding  him 
that  he  falls  from  side  to  side  on  the  arms  of  his  supporters 
as  he  goes  up  or  down  a flight  of  steps. 

“We  were  driven  through  the  wooded,  picturesque  park 
road  which  Prince  Ito  had  coiistructed — and  a winding, 
twisting  road  it  is.  We  had  been  joined  by  Mr.  Suyimatsu, 
director  of  the  Museum,  in  another  carriage,  and  together 
we  left  our  carriage  to  view  the  quaint  little  trickling 
stream  called  the  Treasure  of  the  Mountain,  whose  bed — a 
few  inches  wide — is  cut  in  fanciful  curves  in  the  solid  rock 
and  then  dribbles  down  about  seven  feet  to  rocks  below, 
while  a pompous  inscription  in  ponderous  playfulness 
speaks  of  its  falls  ‘250  feet  high  with  the  roar  of  10,000 
thunders.’  It  is  said  to  be  hundreds  of  years  old.  Alas! 

“We  now  retraced  our  steps,  crossed  the  road  and 
descended  a slope  to  a pavilion  where  we  found  tea  and 
cakes  awaiting  us  as  if  they  had  been  brought  there  by 
magic,  as  no  one  was  in  sight.  The  rest  here  was  grateful, 
but  we  soon  started  and  reached  the  Museum,  where  we 
spent  more  than  an  hour  examining  the  tomb  finds  from 
the  sepulchres  of  Korean  kings  and  notables  \vith  pottery 
eight  and  nine  hundred  years  old — beautiful  celadon,  inlaid 
with  delicate  white  or  white  and  black,  vases,  teapots, 
dishes,  plates,  saucers,  but  what  was  most  interesting  was 


362 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


the  display  of  fragments  unearthed  by  Dr.  Suyimatsu 
himself  in  an  investigation  into  the  places  where  these 
ancient  porcelain  pieces  had  been  fashioned  so  long  ago. 
Authorities  hitherto  had  settled  on  a locality  not  far  from 
Seoul,  and  this  had  gone  unchallenged  for  some  time.  A 
countryman  it  seems  had  found  a broken  piece  of  the  old 
porcelain  a point  to  the  soutk,  not  very  far  from  Fusan. 
This  gave  the  Doctor  an  idea.  He  would  search  for  the 
ancient  kilns  there.  So  to  work  he  went  with  pick  and 
spade  in  the  section  indicated.  At  first  there  was  great 
difficulty,  he  said,  in  recognizing  the  signs,  but  at  length 
he  unearthed  an  ancient  kiln.  Thus  encouraged,  he  pro- 
ceeded unearthing  over  one  hundred  kilns,  and  in  the 
spoiled  pieces  and  fragments  found,  he  was  able  at  last 
to  identify  the  kilns  where  the  very  best  pieces  had  been 
made,  fired  and  glazed,  and  found  pieces  at  every  stage  of 
manufacture.  Here  is  food  for  thought.  Pieces  buried 
with  the  dead  six  hundred  years  ago,  now  looked  at  side 
by  side  with  the  rejected  shards  left  by  the  living  at  that 
remote  day  to  the  mercy  of  time.  The  potter  and  the  king, 
and  the  common  clay. 

“There  were  iron  Buddhas  of  great  size,  smaller  bronze 
Buddhas  and  figurines  and  big  bells  and  charms  and  dainty 
implements  and  adornments  of  queens — combs,  hairpins — 
even  earpicks.  There  were  also  ancient  kakemonos,  some 
of  them  very  well  done.  It  was  indeed  a rare  treat  to  have 
these  things  explained  by  a master  of  great  modesty  and 
great  acquirements. 

“We  entered  another  wing  of  the  palace,  and  passed 
through  a dining  room  where  the  Prince  entertains 
occasionally  and  through  another  large  parlour  and  then 
into  a long  room  with  two  French  billiard  tables  at  the 
farther  end  where  the  Prince  plays  at  times.  Not  long 
since  Count  Terauchi  played  with  him.  The  Count’s  right 
arm  is  shortened,  the  result  of  a wound  in  the  shogun 


A.\-CIE-\T  BKOXZE  BUDDHAS  FROM  THE  SEOUL  MUSEUM 


ANCIENT  KOREAN  GOLDEN  ORNAMENTS  AND  POTTERY  IN 
THE  SEOUL  MUSEUM 


KOREAN  PALACES  AND  ANTIQUES  363 

rebellion  of  1877,  and  it  is  not  of  much  use  to  him,  and  he 
uses  a rest.  Anyway  the  Prince  beat  him,  and  was 
fatuously  pleased.  At  the  other  end  of  the  room  was  a 
phonograph  with  a great  pile  of  discs  on  the  ground. 

“The  Prince  also  has  a Japanese,  a Chinese  and  a foreign 
pavilion  in  the  palace  compound  which  covers  some  hun- 
dreds of  acres.  The  Japanese  pavilion  has  a very  large 
room  covered  with  mats  with  an  outlook  on  a small  lake 
on  which  are  a loudly  painted  fantastic  barge  and  a 
European  boat. 

‘ ‘ Our  last  visit  of  the  afternoon  was  to  the  great  deserted 
palace  which  was  vacated  by  the  old  Emperor  when  the 
Empress  was  murdered  there  some  fourteen  years  ago. 
The  story,  it  seems,  is  now  well  known,  but  as  it  was  told 
to  me,  it  represented  the  Empress  as  the  real  head  of  the 
court  and  hence  of  the  Empire.  Whoever  she  favoured 
found  place  and  profit ; whoever  she  opposed  faced  ig- 
nominj'.  Hence  court  intrigues  and  cabals  in  which  some 
Japanese  took  part.  She  was  murdered  by  Japanese 
conspirators  as  the  outcome.  The  old  Emperor  abandoned 
the  great  palace  as  I have  said,  and  since  it  has  gone  to 
sad  decay.  It  looks  like  the  deserted  palace  of  a fairy  tale 
of  old  and  not  the  theatre  of  a drama  in  real  life  within 
the  span  of  this  young  twentieth  century. 

• “ It  is  vastly  impressive  in  its  decay.  The  great  entrance 
gate  with  its  substructure  of  granite  with  three  arches  and 
the  towering  Korean  double  roof  is  supported  on  either 
side  by  a tile-capped  wall  that  runs  down  on  either  side 
to  a boundary  wall  some  fifteen  feet  high.  Passing  through 
one  enters  a great  quadrangle  whose  side  walls  are  pierced 
in  the  centre  by  low  Korean  gates.  It  is  grass-grown  and 
untended.  A path  has  been  trodden  through  the  bare 
spots.  At  the  further  end,  a mountain  rises  seemingly 
behind,  but  of  course  far  back  of  the  second  gate  also 
double-roofed,  which  opens  on  the  second  quadrangle  at 


364 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


whose  sides  are  the  rooms  of  guards  and  servants,  thirty 
or  forty  on  each  side.  The  floors  of  these  are  earthen — 
smoothed  but  utterly  uncovered  by  board  or  carpet.  The 
second  gate  was  used  for  administration  offices  and  guards. 
Beyond  the  second  quadrangle  rises  the  third  gate  and 
beyond  that  the  third  quadrangle  at  whose  sides  were  also 
rooms  for  officers  and  servitors.  In  two  lines  down  the 
middle  are  low,  square  granite  pillars  engraved  with  signs 
for  the  standing  of  the  various  myriad  officials  of  the 
court.  Before  the  third  gate  is  a great  granite  platform 
of  audience.  Above  this  platform  and  in  the  fourth  gate 
itself  was  the  throne  room  with  the  throne  raised  still 
higher,  and  at  its  back  a screen  of  three  sides  behind 
which,  it  is  said,  stood  the  Minister  who,  speaking  through 
a loophole,  dictated  what  the  Emperor  was  to  say  to  those 
who  came  before  the  throne.  The  doors  of  the  great 
Interior  Hall  of  Audience  were  locked,  and  it  was  too  late 
to  send  for  the  key,  so  we  simply  peered  through  the 
latticed  doors  into  the  great  silence  of  crimson-lacquered 
pillars  and  painted  roof  seen  dimly.  We  passed  another 
detached  administration  building.  Beyond  this  was  the 
palace  proper  with  the  houses  without  roof  cappings — and 
further  still  the  retreat  of  the  royal  inscribed  over  the  gate 
as  “The  House  of  Pleasant  Intercourse.”  We  passed  into 
its  desertion  and  silence.  A dim-eyed  Korean  came, 
scraping  and  bowing  out  of  some  dim  room  beyond,  and 
shoved  back  sliding  doors  for  us  where  the  Empress  had 
slept,  was  murdered  in  the  night  and  lay  when  dead.  It 
was  ghastly! 

“It  was  now  six  o’clock.  The  sun  was  taking  the  calm 
of  evening  gold,  and  sunset  red  was  showing  faintly  above, 
and  we  took  our  way  back  (avoiding  the  steps  up  and 
down  of  the  gates)  over  the  rough  granite  flagging  of  the 
inner  quadrangles.  Between  all  the  flagstones  the  grass 
was  springing  tall  and  waving  a little  in  the  evening 


KOREAN  PALACES  AND  ANTIQUES  365 

breeze.  It  was  grass  on  the  grave  of  a newly  buried 
empire. 

“Thus  we  passed  out  through  the  long  quadrangles  and 
so  through  the  outer  gate.  The  carriages  were  waiting, 
and  we  drove  to  Sontag’s  Hotel  with  a hint  from  our  guide 
that  we  might  tip  the  driver.  The  mundane  surely  dogs 
the  sublime,  and  plays  tag  with  the  tragic — and  that  is 
realism — the  part  that  is  usually  left  out.  ’ ’ 


CHAPTER  XXIV 


OVER  THE  MANCHURIAN  BATTLEFIELD 

On  203  Meter  Hill — In  a droshky — Over  the  field  of  Liaoyang — 
Where  Tachibana  won  deathless  renown — Kuropatkin’s  pru- 
dence— Mukden’s  gi'eat  struggle — Kogi’s  bulldog  attack — The 
three  farm  houses — The  final  retreat — Beans,  barley  and 
kaolin  blotting  out  the  battle  lines. 

Surely,  it  is  important  not  to  prophesy  unless  you  know. 
On  the  Liaotung  Peninsula  I was  following  the  trail  of 
the  armies,  Japanese  and  Russian,  which  had  battled  and 
stormed  from  Port  Arthur  to  ^Mukden  ten  years  be- 
fore, fighting  battles  the  greatest  to  that  hour  in  his- 
tory as  to  numbers  engaged,  tremendous  in  the  use  of 
modern  weapons  of  destruction  and  frightful  in  loss  of 
life. 

Surveying  these  fields  of  “ten  years  after,”  I was  often 
tempted  to  speak  of  that  war  as  the  last  and  greatest  of 
combats;  to  think  of  wholesale  human  slaughter  as  having 
its  last  innings  on  Manchurian  soil,  so  profound  seemed 
the  peace  of  the  world — the  Balkans  at  rest,  even  Mexico 
quiet  and  the  great  powers  occupied  in  rocking  small  per- 
turbed populations  to  peaceful  slumbers — no  war  cloud 
above  the  horizon. 

I did  not  prophesy  anything,  partly,  I fear,  because  it 
seemed  so  easy  and  so  obvious.  Were  not  Russia  and  Japan 
friendlj'^  after  all  their  dogged,  ferocious  fighting?  Was 
not  Andrew  Carnegie  the  titular  god  of  the  new  arbitra- 
tion millennium  and  William  J.  Bryan  his  prophet?  The 
spirit  of  Amida  Buddha,  the  sparer  of  life,  the  lover  of 

366 


OVER  THE  MANCHURIAN  BATTLEFIELD  367 


peace,  seemed  spreading  his  arms  in  benediction  over  the 
West  as  well  as  the  East. 

I was  sitting  on  a broken  Russian  cannon  on  the  summit 
of  203  Meter  Hill  above  Port  Arthur — that  sacrificial 
summit  soaked  with  torrents  of  good  fighting  blood — and 
looking  over  the  inside  of  the  oval  on  hilltops  that  formed 
the  landward  bastions  of  the  Russian  defences,  not  one  of 
which  had  fallen  without  its  Homeric  struggle.  With  a 
turn  of  the  head  I could  see  the  harbour  where  the  Russian 
warships  lay  and  the  heights  of  Golden  Hill,  whose  great 
guns  defended  the  harbour  entrance  to  the  last.  Imagina- 
tion easily  closed  out  the  beauty  of  the  day,  and  under  a 
darkened  sky  I saw  the  line  of  hilltop  forts  alive  again  with 
flashes  of  flame,  the  great  howitzer  shells  from  the  Japanese 
battery  a mile  back  hurtling  through  air  overhead  and 
bursting  on  the  battleships  three  miles  off  in  the  harbour, 
their  thunders  reverberating  in  the  hollows  of  the  hills  and 
their  shocks  shaking  the  ground  beneath  me.  Never  again, 
I was  thinking,  would  the  like  be  seen  of  civilized  man. 

How  futile,  how  sentimental,  it  seems  now  with  a tenfold 
greater  struggle  drenching  all  Europe  with  human  blood — 
the  champions  of  progress  like  dogs  at  each  other’s  throats; 
the  time-worn  shibboleths  more  potent  than  ever  in  luring 
men  to  slaughter.  And,  irony  of  ironies,  Japan,  now 
friendly  with  Russia,  attacking  and  capturing  another  Port 
Arthur,  this  time  held  by  Germans,  at  Kiao-chow. 

A month  later  on  the  ocean,  the  story  that  a Bosnian 
boy  had  shot  an  Austrian  Archduke  dead  troubled  no  one 
abroad,  but  presently  a wireless  message  came  out  of  the 
blue  that  the  Kaiser  had  turned  on  the  Czar;  that  France 
was  struggling  for  life  and  that  England  had  leaped  into 
the  fray.  My  jottings  of  the  battlefields  of  Manchuria 
seemed  as  if  written  two  hundred  years  ago. 

At  the  coming  of  the  rainy  season  in  Japan  it  had  seemed 
best  that  I should  suspend  my  studies  and  observations 


368 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


there  and  betake  me  to  the  scenes  of  the  great  struggle  of 
1904-05  between  the  little  island  empire  and  the  giant 
Russian  power.  We  so  associate  this  small  spearhead  of 
Chinese  land  thrust  southward  into  the  Yellow  Sea  with 
battle  and  disaster  and  human  bravery  and  human  suffer- 
ing that  no  one  apparently  knows  what  a delightful  climate 
it  enjoys,  mild  in  winter,  cool  in  summer  and  always 
bracing,  and  that  this  former  charnel  house  of  history  is 
successfully  putting  on  the  airs  of  a summer  resort. 

There  is  a nice  and  well-kept  Yamato  Hotel  for  for- 
eigners, where  one  may  linger  in  comfort,  and  there  are 
breezy  walks,  and  pleasant  drives.  The  boomers  of  the 
place  all  brag  about  the  joys  of  the  near-by  beach  and 
rather  ignore  the  siege  that  made  Port  Arthur  famous. 
Newcomers,  however,  are  not  to  be  put  off  so  easily  and 
hasten  to  the  ruined  forts  on  the  hills — tortured  and  shat- 
tered, just  as  they  fell  to  Japanese  prowess,  they  remain 
today — and  the  monuments  to  the  dead  of  Russia  and 
Japan  and  the  War  Museum,  and  glimpse  the  forts  on 
Golden  Hill  and  Tiger’s  Tail  that  are  still  on  guard, 
but  under  different  gunners,  above  the  entrance  to  the 
harbour. 

Prom  the  point  of  Port  Arthur  to  the  city  of  Mukden, 
where  the  campaign  ended,  is  two  hundred  and  forty-six 
miles  to  the  north,  and  up  and  down  this  territory  from 
May  of  1904  to  March  of  1905  the  flame  of  battle  ran. 
The  war  had  two  tremendous  sides,  the  naval  side  upon  the 
sea  and  the  military  side  on  land. 

On  the  sea  Japan,  sustaining  certain  losses,  it  is  true, 
triumphed  with  scarcely  an  interruption  against  the 
Russian  fleets,  sinking  in  the  open  water  or  driving  to 
shelter  Makaroff’s  Port  Arthur  fleet,  driving  the  Vladi- 
vostok squadron  and  smashing  the  great  ragbag  fleet  of 
Rojestvensky  in  the  straits  of  Tsushima.  That  unexampled 
tale  would  be  worth  the  telling  in  detail,  but  the  sea  is 


OVER  THE  MANCHURIAN  BATTLEFIELD  369 


smooth  where  the  great  ships  foundered,  and  there  is  not 
a trace  of  the  Russian  ships  today  outside  the  relics  that 
abound  in  the  shrines  and  museums  of  Japan,  where  a 
captured  gun  or  a shell-punctured  funnel  ministers  to  the 
national  pride. 

Outside  Port  Arthur  and  its  environs  there  is  little  trace 
of  the  great  struggle  of  the  land  armies.  When  Kuroki, 
coming  through  Korea  with  the  First  Army  of  Japan, 
crossed  the  Yalu  River  on  the  first  of  May,  1904,  driving  the 
Russians  before  him,  how  surprised  we  all  were  in  America. 
He  did  not  linger,  but  pushed  on  across  the  Liaotung 
Peninsula,  putting  himself  between  the  main  Russian  force 
and  Port  Arthur,  which  General  Nogi’s  army  was  presently 
to  besiege. 

Before  that,  however.  General  Oku  with  the  Second 
Army  of  Japan  was  to  fight  the  battle  of  Nanshan  on 
May  26,  setting  a pace  for  personal  bravery  that  only 
heroes  could  imitate,  namely,  hurling  infantry  in  night 
attacks  against  fortifications  armed  with  all  the  modern 
appliances  of  destruetion.  It  succeeded  at  Nanshan,  where 
a steep  mountainside  was  then  bloodily  won ; tens  of  thou- 
sands of  brave  lives  were  lost  to  little  purpose  in  the  great 
combats  that  followed.  While  it  placed  Japanese  courage, 
loyalty  and  devotion  at  the  limit  of  the  heroic,  it  was 
undoubtedly  the  great  tactical  sin  of  the  campaign,  suc- 
cessful beyond  expectation  though  the  latter  proved.  The 
unopposed  capture  of  Dalny  after  the  storming  of  Nanshan 
and  the  bottling  up  of  forty-seven  thousand  Russians  under 
Stoessel  at  Port  Arthur  marked  the  first  period  of  the  war. 

So,  leaving  the  siege  aside  for  the  present,  we  take  our 
way  up  the  peninsula  and  ten  miles  below  Liaoyang  find 
the  main  Russian  army  over  two  hundred  thousand  strong 
under  Kuropatkin  facing  south,  for  he  had  been  told  by 
the  Czar  to  raise  the  siege  of  Port  Arthur,  His  entrenched 
and  fortified  line  is  thirty  miles  long.  Reinforcements 


370 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


keep  coming  to  him  marvellously  at  the  rate  of  a thousand 
a day  over  the  single-track  Siberian  railroad. 

In  front  of  him  and  in  touch  with  him,  the  three 
Japanese  armies  of  Oku,  Nozu  and  Kuroki,  some  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  thousand  men,  are  making  ready  for  the 
great  fight.  By  the  end  of  August  they  feel  ready  to 
attack,  and  battle  is  joined  along  the  whole  line.  The 
battle  of  Liaoyang  is  on. 

The  Russian  engineers  have  dope  well;  their  artillery  is 
strong  and  well  posted.  Why,  with  superior  force,  choice 
of  position — a line  of  hills  and  eminences  running  east  and 
west — and  a dogged  bravery  in  the  battle  line  they  did  not 
win,  is  susceptible  of  many  explanations.  The  Japanese 
staff  lays  it  to  Kuropatkin — his  lack  of  initiative,  his 
extreme  caution. 

Pound,  hammer,  charge  by  night  and  day  from  August 
23  to  September  3 as  they  would,  the  Japanese  could  not 
break  the  Russian  line.  Their  costly  efforts  in  human  life 
only  pushed  the  Russian  right,  centre  and  left  centre  into 
stronger  positions  prepared  for  them  beforehand  by  the 
Russian  engineers.  In  these  positions  despite  the  greatest 
heroism  in  an  unwearied  offensive  the  Japanese  could  not 
budge  their  foe.  It  was  a solid  thirty-mile  line  of  iron 
belching  flame  and  death  that  met  the  Japanese.  Men  died 
like  flies  hurling  themselves  against  it. 

In  this  juncture  Kuroki  with  a single  division  was  sent 
on  a flanking  movement  around  the  extreme  Russian  left. 
He  made  some  progress  before  he  was  discovered.  Kuro- 
patkin sent  three  divisions  against  him,  but  Kuroki  man- 
aged to  hold  precariously'  for  three  days,  and  Kuropatkin, 
with  thousands  and  thousands  of  men  in  his  reserves,  men 
whom  he  had  never  brought  under  fire,  took  fright.  He 
magnified  Kuroki ’s  single  division  into  a flanking  army 
turning  his  line,  and  on  the  night  of  September  4 ordered 
a general  retreat!  He  got  safely  away.  That  was  the 


OVER  THE  MANCHURIAN  BATTLEFIELD  371 


battle  of  Liaoyang,  bloody,  exhausting,  a Russian  defeat 
by  inferior  numbers. 

This  was  explained  to  me  by  Colonel  Tsudo  of  the 
Japanese  army  at  the  railroad  station  of  Liaoyang  with 
the  aid  of  a set  of  wonderful  war  maps,  lettered  in  German 
text,  but  printed  at  Tokyo,  they  told  me.  Then  a major 
and  lieutenant  were  detailed  to  show  me  what  points  I 
might  wish  to  visit  in  the  battle  line.  I left  the  choice  to 
my  guides  and  off  we  went  southward,  the  soldiers  riding 
and  my  party  in  a droshky,  across  the  ancient  tumbledown 
town  of  forty  thousand  inhabitants,  with  its  crumbling 
twenty-foot  walls  and  • its  dilapidated  single  Buddhist 
pagoda  of  eleven  rings  towering  over  all  its  squalour. 

The  town  is  literally  hacked  in  two  by  the  river  Taitze, 
which  has  cut  a deep  bed  for  itself.  The  road  runs  for 
some  distance  along  the  river  bank.  It  would,  it  seemed, 
have  been  easier  to  drive  in  the  river  bed.  Once  out  of 
to^vn  and  as  we  wind  across  the  plain  the  solitary  pagoda 
asserts  itself  to  the  backward  glance  and  becomes  an  iden- 
tification mark  as  well  as  giving  dignity  to  the  outline  of 
Liaoyang.  There  is  a Japanese  quarter  of  the  town,  cleaner 
than  the  rest,  but  the  Chinese  who  swarm  and  have  their 
being  along  the  muddy  river  banks  would  take  a prize  for 
dirty  surroundings.  The  Oriental  contentment  passes 
belief. 

Our  way  was  now  through  a flat  cultivated  country 
under  a broiling  sun  tempered  by  a faint  breeze  and  over 
a vile  road  that  had  been  tracked  by  heavy  carts  when  soft 
and  now  had  deep  ruts  in  the  hardened  earth.  On  either 
side  stretched  the  fields,  rich  with  crops,  the  Chinese 
farmers  busy  with  their  work. 

Five  or  six  miles  out  the  major  began  pointing  out  land- 
marks of  the  war,  emplacements  for  Russian  batteries,  the 
seats  of  the  heavy  guns,  all  fast  disappearing  under  the 
assaults  of  Generals  Sun,  Wind  and  Rain.  The  tall  kaolin. 


372 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


the  waving  barley  and  the  tangle  of  the  soya  bean  are 
soldiers  aiding  the  elemental  generals  in  wiping  out  the 
scars  of  the  battlefield. 

Liaoyang  has  become  a low-lying  group  on  the  horizon, 
with  its  single  pagoda  spire  upstanding.  We  are  nearing 
a range  of  grassy  hills  running  east  and  west,  the  line  where 
Kuropatkin  made  his  stand,  and  one  could  not  but  admire 
the  frontal  strength  of  the  redoubts  and  enfilading  possi- 
bilities of  the  position,  the  stands  chosen  for  indirect  fire. 
The  road  from  Liaoyang  ran  between  two  hills,  one  a 
precipitous  rock  six  hundred  feet  high,  named  Sou  Shan, 
and  the  other  a saddle-shaped,  two-peaked,  grassy  hill  about 
a mile  long  and  four  hundred  and  twenty  feet  above  the 
plain  and  with  sharp  but  accessible  slopes.  Hereabout  was 
the  fiercest  fighting,  so  up  the  hill  we  clambered. 

The  view  from  the  erest  was  far-reaching.  Less  than  a 
mile  south  were  the  Japanese  lines,  extending  far  on  the 
right  of  Sou  Shan.  East  and  west  every  point  was  strongly 
overlooked  by  redoubts  with  indirect  fire.  Along  the  foot  of 
the  MU  ran  a long  deep  trench  that  extended  east  for  thirty 
miles  and  which  could  still  be  traced,  facing  the  open  valley 
land.  In  front  of  this  trench  the  tall  kaolin  had  been  cut 
for  eight  hundred  yards  by  Chinese  coolies,  who  worked 
indifferently  for  Russian  or  Japanese,  for  whoever  hired 
and  paid  them.  The  near-by  villages  on  the  right  had  all 
been  strongly  held. 

Although  Kuroki  was  astride  of  Kuropatkin ’s  extreme 
left,  the  Japanese  were  taking  no  chances  along  the  rest  of 
their  lines.  They  were  pressing  at  every  point.  Again 
and  again  they  advanced  against  the  defences  and  were 
annihilated.  Again  and  again  they  captured  points  only 
to  be  driven  from  them  with  fearful  losses.  The  indomit- 
able pluck,  devotion  and  tirelessness  of  the  Japanese  were 
fairly  matched  by  the  dogged  resistance  of  the  Russians. 

Night  and  day  the  attacks  were  kept  up  and  the  forlorn 


OVER  THE  MANCHURIAN  BATTLEFIELD  373 


hope  heroism  of  campaigns  in  other  lands  became  the 
commonplace  of  the  soldiers  of  Nippon.  Many  were  the 
assaults  on  Tung  Shan,  where  we  were  standing.  Twice 
it  was  captured,  but  the  defenders  each  time  recaptured  it, 
aided  by  a terrible  cannonade.  One  attacking  regiment 
lost  fifty  per  cent,  in  killed.  It  was  here  that  Major 
Tachibana  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Infantry  gained  imperish- 
able renown  and  lost  his  life  on  the  crest. 

With  his  battalion  of  four  companies  he  attacked  in  the 
early  morning,  sending  up  three  companies  and  keeping  one 
in  reserve.  Russian  grape  and  shell  rained  on  them.  Even 
tho  crossfire  of  the  Japanese  guns  struck  them  here  and 
there.  They  were  decimated  in  breaking  through  the  lower 
trenches  and  swept  by  a hail  of  Mauser  bullets  from  the 
lines  above,  and  yet  the  company  ascending  the  hill  nearest 
the  road  put  men  over  the  parapet  above. 

Tachibana  on  the  second  hill  led  his  men  or  what  was 
left  of  them  over  the  crest,  where  he  slew  right  and  left 
with  his  short  Japanese  sword,  falling  at  last  from  a bayo- 
net thrust.  The  Colonel  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Regiment, 
whose  feet  had  become  so  swollen  that  he  could  not  wear 
his  boots,  had  followed  the  attack,  leaning  on  two  of  his 
men.  He  fell  dead  from  a shot  at  the  foot  of  the  hill 
in  a clump  of  trees  still  waving  below  there  in  the  wind. 

At  a village  to  the  right  and  front  of  Sou  Shan  a 
Japanese  brigade  advancing  to  the  attack  was  allowed  to 
come  within  a couple  of  hundred  yards,  when  a fire  of  rifle 
bullets  and  machine  guns  suddenly  swept  them  down  by 
hundreds,  compelling  the  remnant  to  retreat. 

The  Major  told  stories  of  other  parts  of  the  bloody  field 
— how  at  one  place  the  cavalry  horses  could  not  be  pushed 
forward,  so  many  were  the  corpses  at  their  feet.  Tachi- 
bana, the  hero  who  had  died  where  w'e  stood,  was,  it  seems, 
in  peace  the  gentlest  and  most  lovable  of  men  and  had  been 
an  aid  to  the  present  Emperor,  Yoshihita,  when  the  latter 


374 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


was  Crown  Prince.  Two  imperial  princes  had  the  week 
before  climbed  the  hill  as  we  had  and  paid  homage  to  the 
shade  of  Tachibana.  They  were  Prince  Higashi  Kuni  and 
Prinee  Asahi.  Tachibana  was  surely  entering  the  domain 
of  the  Japanese  gods. 

Talk  turned  back  to  the  battle  time,  and  the  Major, 
summing  up  the  conditions  on  the  Russian  front,  made  a 
sweeping  gesture  east  and  west,  and  said  simply  with  a 
shrug:  “Do  what  we  would,  we  could  not.”  Yet  because 
he  could  not  force  back  one  Japanese  division  on  his 
extreme  left  with  three  of  his  own,  and  with  twenty  thou- 
sand men  never  under  fire,  Kuropatkin  gave  the  order  to 
retreat  to  Mukden,  fifty  miles  away! 

Long  Ave  lingered  on  the  hilltop  in  the  hot  lashing  wind 
that  swept  over  it.  Liaoyang  shoAved  barely  on  the 
northern  horizon.  Our  gaze  SAvept  the  hills  around  and 
the  plains  beneath.  The  grove  Avhere  the  Colonel  of  the 
Thirty-fourth  fell  among  his  men  was  Avaving  its  slim, 
graceful  trees ; the  fields  Avere  green  with  the  growing  crops 
and  the  enclosing  village  Avails  and  roofs  lay  yellow  in  the 
bright  sunlight  under  a clear  blue  sky. 

It  was  a picture  of  smiling  peace  and  plenty  where 
gaunt  devastation  and  the  AA'holesale  murder  of  Avar  had 
reigned  ten  years  before.  No  monument  marked  the  little- 
visited  scene  of  the  great  conflict.  Of  all  the  dead  that 
matted  the  hillside  not  a vestige  Avas  in  sight,  yet  Avithin 
a range  of  a mile  over  ten  thousand  men  of  both  sides 
had  fallen.  In  irony,  as  we  came  doAvn  the  fatal  hill,  we 
noticed  four  small  mud  cones  marking  the  graves  of  four 
recently  dead  Chinese  peasants. 

But  at  Liaoyang  there  are  monuments  to  the  Russian 
and  the  Japanese  dead.  But  as  AA'e  drove  back  in  the 
evening  hours,  starting  the  black  pigs  grunting  from  their 
mud  wallows,  seeing  the  naked  children  playing  Avith  lazy 
mongrel  dogs  or  with  other  children  Avearing  chest  pro- 


'i'llK  LAMA  TOWKK,  LIAOVANG,  i,ooo  ViCAKS  OLD,  WHICH  DO.MINATFS  THF 
BATTLF:  PLAIN'  FOR  .MILKS 

N'A'n'RAT.  CAVK  TKMPLE  N’F.AK  PF.XC  CHI  POO,  NOT  FAR  FRO.M  LIAOVANG 


OVER  THE  MANCHURIAN  BATTLEFIELD  375 


tectors  that  ended  where  decency  calls  for  covering,  the 
peasants  trooping  home  to  the  evening  meal,  it  seemed  hard 
to  realize  that  we  had  just  left  the  scene  of  the  fight  that 
had  so  recently  decided  the  fate  of  eastern  Asia  for  maybe 
a hundred  years. 

In  a way  my  experience  at  Liaoyang  was  repeated  the 
next  day  at  Mukden.  Two  smart  officers,  a major  and  a 
first  lieutenant,  waited  on  me  at  the  Yamato  Hotel  there, 
and  with  their  excellent  maps  explained  the  greater  field, 
and  then  arming  ourselves  with  field  glasses  and  lunch 
baskets  we  took  our  way  to  the  critical  point  of  the 
battlefield. 

Although  the  battle  of  Liaoyang  was  materially  only  the 
prelude  to  the  greater  combat  of  Mukden  and  in  so  far 
indecisive  it  really  governed  the  end.  On  September  4, 
when  Kuropatkin  drew  off  his  army,  his  intention  was  to 
go  to  Tiding,  one  hundred  miles  away.  He  wanted  to  get 
to  some  point  where  the  Japanese  line  of  communication 
would  be  as  tenuous  as  his  own.  That  single-track  Siberian 
railroad  of  five  thousand  miles  was  surely  as  thin  a retiring 
line  as  one  could  desire  for  an  enemy. 

He  was  not  allowed  to  move  north  in  peace.  He  had  to 
turn  and  fight  from  the  fifth  to  the  tenth  of  October  at  the 
Shaho.  Further  north  on  January  27,  1905,  he  turned 
again  somewhat  savagely  at  Sandepu,  and  with  a little  more 
boldness  would  have  scored  a Russian  victory.  As  it  was 
the  action  gave  him  time  to  reach  Mukden,  and  to  form 
the  determination  of  giving  battle  there  to  Japan. 

He  had  received  reinforcements.  His  forces  all  told 
reached  nearly  400,000  men — 310,000  on  the  fighting  line 
— when  he  flung  out  his  trenches  and  manned  them  and 
fortified.  In  all  the  lines  were  seventy  miles  long,  but  the 
true  battle  line  was  forty-seven,  from  ten  to  fifteen  miles 
south  of  the  town.  His  left  and  centre  were  planted  in  the 
hill  country  to  the  east.  On  his  right  centre  and  right 


376 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


stretched  the  beginning  of  the  great  Manchurian  plain. 
The  weather  was  deadly  cold,  but  there  had  been  little 
snow. 

Besides  endeavouring  to  defeat  the  Japanese  army  before 
him  Kuropatkin  had  ever  to  keep  in  mind  that  he  must 
never  let  go  his  hold  on  the  railroad  behind  him.  From 
his  right  centre  it  ran  back  through  Mukden  and  beyond. 
Bear  that  in  mind  and  it  is  not  hard  to  understand  even 
so  great  a battle  as  Mukden. 

Despite  the  haste  in  which  his  entrenchments  had  been 
thrown  up  they  proved  strong  and  sufficing  during  the 
seventeen  mortal  days  that  the  terrible  combat  lasted,  with 
battle  all  the  time  night  and  day  along  the  line.  Again 
Kuropatkin  had  his  chance  and  again  he  failed  to  test  his 
fortune  to  the  uttermost. 

The  Japanese  meanwhile,  like  the  little  girl  in  the  tradi- 
tional nursery  tale  of  our  civil  war,  “had  not  been  idle.” 
The  fall  of  Port  Arthur  on  January  2,  1905,  had  released 
General  Nogi’s  army,  which  now  had  come  up  and  taken 
its  place  on  the  left  of  the  Japanese  line  before  Mukden. 
A fifth  army  under  General  Kawamura,  organized  in  the 
late  autumn,  was  brought  up  on  the  extreme  right. 
Their  battle  line  held  over  three  hundred  thousand 
actual  fighting  men  disposed  from  left  to  right  in  five 
armies  under  Nogi,  Oku,  Nozu,  Kuroki  and  Kawamura — 
all  but  Kawamura ’s  men  toughened  and  hardened 
veterans. 

The  fighting  began  on  February  23  with  mutual  carnage, 
but  as  the  month  wore  on  the  result  was  more  in  the  nature 
of  defining  the  lines  than  in  material  advantage.  Kawa- 
mura’s  new  troops  were  sent  forward  to  make  a feint  on 
the  Russian  left,  but  only  felt  the  strength  of  the  Russians 
in  front  of  them.  From  that  on  right,  centre  and  left  of 
both  armies  pounded  their  opponents  with  artillery  and 
threatening  rather  than  performing,  movements  of  the 


OVER  THE  MANCHURIAN  BATTLEFIELD  377  ' 


infantry.  A curious  feature  was  for  how  little  the  Cossack 
cavalry  counted  in  this  as  in  previous  engagements. 

The  Russian  centre  was  especially  strong  and  three 
days  of  massed  cannonading  made  little  impression  on  it. 
Indeed  the  Russian  guns  were  generally  superior  to  the 
Japanese,  well  placed,  well  directed  and  well  served.  Of 
course  a general  staff  as  enterprising  as  the  Japanese  could 
surely  be  expected  to  manufacture  some  surprises,  but  day 
after  day  up  to  March  6 nothing  new  had  developed. 

On  the  seventh  something  happened.  Nogi  with  his 
veterans  began  a grim  and  searching  advance  around  the 
extreme  Russian  right.  At  first  it  had  gone  undetected 
by  Kuropatkin  as  a menacing  movement,  and  even  then  did 
not  attract  the  attention  it  merited. 

On  the  eighth  of  March,  partly  for  what  might  come  of 
it  and  partly  to  mask  the  flanking  movement  of  Nogi, 
General  Oku  made  a powerful  forward  move  with  infantry 
masses  that  made  a great  dent  in  the  Russian  line  opposing 
him,  although  it  did  not  break  the  formation.  Nogi  had 
meanwhile  worked  around  the  Russian  left  and  was  swing- 
ing round  north  of  Mukden  with  the  now  plain  object  of 
reaching  the  railroad  in  the  Russian  rear,  and  it  was  the 
stroke  of  Nogi — grim,  relentless  soldier — that  told. 

Kuropatkin,  alive  at  last  to  his  danger,  rushed  masses  of 
troops  and  field  artillery  to  his  right  and  they  clashed 
bloodily  with  Nogi.  By  March  7 Nogi,  pressing  northward 
in  a curve,  actually  reached  within  two  miles  of  the  railroad 
at  the  village  of  Tashichao.  Against  that  point  and  Nogi’s 
line  for  ten  miles  south,  Kuropatkin  hurled  his  battalions. 

It  was  to  this  critical  point  on  the  battlefield  we  were 
proceeding  over  the  plain  south  and  west  of  Mukden.  Here 
the  immense  field  sown  with  the  soya  bean — China ’s  newest 
crop,  exported  by  the  cargo  in  a score  of  vessels — spread 
out  on  all  sides  to  the  horizon  in  a pattern  of  furrows, 
sometimes  straight,  sometimes  gently  curved.  The  men 


378 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


were  toiling  under  the  sun  and  the  women  finely  dressed 
sitting  in  groups  under  little  groves  of  shade  trees,  gossip- 
ing and  watching  their  lords  and  masters  work,  for  that 
is  the  way  of  it  in  Manchuria  and  most  of  northern  China, 
where  a woman  is  an  article  of  cash  value,  and  only  to  be 
relied  on  if  treated  to  the  very  best. 

Over  these  fields  in  the  bitter  cold  of  1905  had  the 
soldiers  struggled.  Through  the  seventh,  eighth  and  ninth 
of  March  attack,  defence,  counter-attack  went  on  without 
intermission,  fluctuating  with  advantage  here  to  one  side 
and  there  to  another,  Avith  heroism  and  sacrifice  on  both 
sides.  Nine  times  has  the  plough-share  turned  over  the 
soil  for  the  growing  of  beans  and  corn,  barley  and  millet, 
the  peasant  reaping  bullets  and  shells  and  human  bones 
with  his  beans  and  barley.  The  battlefield  seems  effaced. 
But  there  are  points  on  the  level  landscape  that  remain. 

A hot  driving  wind  has  risen,  tossing  up  cloudlets  of 
dust  that  recall  the  striking  of  shells  on  the  earth.  Far  off 
there  is  a line  of  trees  on  the  horizon.  The  heat  haze  that 
lingers  close  to  the  earth  brings  a mirage  effect  as  if  the 
trees  stood  on  river  bank  or  lake  rim;  they  float  in  the 
haze.  Little  groves  of  ash  are  dotted  here  and  there  among 
the  furrows  that  run  straight  for  a mile  or  curve  in  green 
parallels  as  far. 

Major  Shirai  rose  in  his  saddle  and  pointed.  Lieutenant 
Yano  rode  up.  A small  compound  with  the  usual  mud 
walls  enclosing  a group  of  small  buildings  lay  near  the 
horizon  and  it  was  to  that  he  was  pointing. 

‘ ‘ The  three  farm  houses,  ’ ’ he  said. 

Beyond  it,  maybe  half  a mile  to  the  right  as  we  ap- 
proached, lay  a village  enclosed  also  by  the  yellow  mud 
walls. 

“ Wi-f on-ton,  ” said  the  Lieutenant. 

On  the  first  alarm  at  Nogi’s  turning  movement  the 
Russians  seized  the  village  and  the  enclosure  of  the  three 


OVER  THE  MANCHURIAN  BATTLEFIELD  379 


farm  houses.  They  had  a couple  of  days  before  thrown  up 
a redoubt  about  a mile  to  the  south  and  on  it  planted  a 
battery  of  field  guns.  They  dug  a line  of  trenches  that 
ran  from  the  three  farms  to  the  southward.  Then  in  the 
night  came  the  Japanese,  the  Sixth  Regiment  creeping  up 
on  the  village  and  the  Thirty-third  Regiment  making  a dash 
in  the  dark  on  the  farms.  In  both  cases  the  attack  -was 
discovered  before  delivered  and  the  night  became  hideous 
with  deadly  fire.  The  Japanese  loss  was  heavy. 

The  Colonel  of  the  Thirty-third  met  a soldier’s  death 
before  the  mud  walls ; the  Colonel  of  the  Sixth,  wounded  in 
arm  and  leg,  still  kept  his  feet  and  went  with  his  men  over 
the  walls  into  the  village.  The  Russians  were  bayoneted 
or  driven  out  of  both  places. 

With  daylight  came  another  foe.  The  fire  of  the  Russian 
redoubt  withered  the  lives  of  those  in  the  three  farms  whom 
the  night  attack  had  spared.  Only  100  of  the  1,000  of  the 
night  attack  w'ere  living  an  hour  after  daybreak.  The 
bodies  of  900  comrades  lay  around  them  and  just  outside 
the  walls. 

In  a few  hours  as  the  morning  grew  came  sixteen  Russian 
battalions  supported  by  the  fire  of  the  redoubt.  They  cap- 
tured the  three  farms  and  the  western  half  of  the  village. 
The  main  street  lay  between  the  two  forces  and  for  two 
days  the  fighting  was  incessant,  but  neither  could  make 
the  other  budge.  Four  thousand  bodies  of  Russians  and 
Japanese  lay  over  the  fields  and  within  the  walls.  It  was 
stubborn,  sleepless,  heroic. 

The  Japanese  attacked  the  three  farms  again  and  again 
without  success.  In  one  attack  they  had  agreed  to  attempt 
to  scale  the  seven-foot  wall,  but  when  with  a spring  they 
threw  their  arms  over  the  top  the  Russian  officers  inside 
chopped  them  off  with  their  sabres.  It  is  characteristic  of 
the  Japanese  to  keep  on,  and  they  kept  springing  up  and 
falling  back  with  chopped  off  or  shattered  arms  until 


380 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


ordered  away.  Half  a score  of  arms  were  found  inside 
when  the  battle  was  over. 

In  the  village  street  along  the  high  mud  walls  on  either 
side,  pierced  by  heavy  doors  tc  the  front  yards  of  the 
houses,  the  tiny  rifle  missiles  sung  and  stung  all  day.  The 
rain  of  lead  has  left  innumerable  traces  in  the  doors  and 
doorposts,  a sinister  pock-marking  that  can  still  be  seen. 
Where  Russians  and  Japanese  on  each  side  of  the  street 
pierced  the  mud  walls  for  loopholes  the  peasants  have 
plastered  fresh  mud,  but  you  can  count  them  still  and 
, easily  figure  out  the  fierce-eyed  mujik  or  equally  glaring 
Oriental  in  his  battle  frenzy  firing  at  any  living  thing  in 
sight. 

Nightfall  brought  no  cessation.  Hungering,  thirsting, 
sinking  with  fatigue,  the  human  animals  with  the  lust  of 
blood  could  still  ram  in  their  cartridges  and  fire  to  kill  for 
three  terrible  days  and  nights.  Death  was  all  around  them, 
and  for  a foot  or  two  before  them,  but  the  cry  of  “Holy 
Russia!”  or  “Dai  Nippon!”  was  ringing  in  their  ears. 

We  went  into  the  three  farms  enclosure;  it  has  now  four 
farm  houses.  We  fingered  the  patched  mud  walls  while  the 
mild-eyed  Manchus  gazed  at  us  in  wonder.  Visitors  must 
be  few.  They  brought  us  rifle  bullets  and  grape  shot.  An 
old  peasant  came  running  from  a field  hard  by  with  a 
couple  of  two-inch  shells,  perhaps  from  the  guns  on  that 
redoubt  that  slaughtered  the  remnant  of  the  Thirty-third 
on  that  red  morning. 

In  the  village  they  crowded  around  us  and  conducted  us 
to  the  little  Buddhist  temple,  which  with  its  poor  ornaments 
and  images  had  lived  as  calmly  through  the  siege  as  it 
had  for  a hundred  and  fifty  years  before.  The  old,  slim 
priest  with  a small  white  moustache  and  a gentle  face  stood 
aside  in  his  black  robe  looking  wistfully  at  us.  The  chil- 
dren stood  wide  eyed  around — children  to  whom  war  in  its 
terrible  panoply  sweeping  over  their  door  sills  was  only  a 


OVER  THE  MANCHURIAN  BATTLEFIELD  381 


word  heard  around  the  hearth  fires  in  winter  when  the 
nights  were  cold. 

We  rode  ahead  a mile  past  other  crumbling  works  of  the 
battle  on  low  hillocks  by  the  way.  One  Russian  work  had 
a ditch  around  it  and  a platform  with  a screen  to  hide  the 
riflemen.  Their  artillery  was  on  another  enfilading  hillock 
half  a mile  away ; one  could  see  the  emplacements  for  the 
guns.  Death  found  out  the  Russians  posted  there  and  the 
Japanese  who  attacked  it.  Fragments  of  human  bones 
strewed  the  ditch. 

The  orderly  handed  us  a bone  from  a soldier’s  foot  that 
had  perhaps  first  trod  the  earth  in  Moscow  or  haply  in 
Kyoto — who  knows?  Not  the  Manchu  peasant  looking  on 
at  the  remnants  of  men  who  had  come  with  military  music 
and  the  louder  drumming  of  the  guns  to  leave  their  foot- 
bones  rattling  at  his  doors..  Under  a clump  of  trees  still 
nearer  to  Tashichao — Nogi’s  furthest  in  the  battle — we  ate 
our  lunch. 

And  there  was  drawn  for  me  the  closing  picture  of  the 
mighty  struggle  of  six  hundred  thousand  fighting  men. 
We  have  seen  Nogi  advancing  and  checked  within  sight  of 
the  railroad.  Kuropatkin’s  alarm  was  expressed  in  the 
vigour  of  the  Russian  counter  attacks  on  Nogi,  which  could 
not  budge  him,  but  held  him  fast.  In  return  the  pressure 
was  now  made  heavier  still  along  the  whole  Japanese  line. 

We  have  seen  that  Oku  had  pushed  the  Russians  back  a 
space  along  his  front,  but  the  Muscovites  still  held  fast 
together.  Great  was  the  carnage  and  the  victory  was  on 
neither  side.  Then  on  the  ninth  Kuropatkin  had  a similar 
spasm  of  prudence  or  fear  to  that  he  had  at  Liaoyang  and 
resolved  on  the  same  manoeuvre — to  withdraw  his  troops 
along  the  whole  line  of  battle,  sacrificing  this  time  the 
gallant  fellows  who  were  holding  Nogi  fast  on  his  doubled- 
up  right. 

In  vain  Nogi,  maddened  by  the  sight  of  trainload  after 


382 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


trainload  of  Russians  moving  up  the  line,  called  and 
clamoured  to  Oyama  for  help. 

“Give  me  another  division  and  I can  cut  the  railroad, 
stand  astride  it  and  end  the  war.  ’ ’ 

But  Oyama  could  not  spare  a man — or  else  General 
Kodama,  said  to  be  the  real  commanding  if  not  the  titular 
genius  of  the  campaign,  thought  he  could  not. 

Then,  in  the  night,  leaving  a thin  line  behind,  Kuro- 
patkin ’s  army  began  its  flight.  On  his  left  and  part  of  his 
centre  the  way  was  open  for  him  through  the  hilly  country 
north,  and  they  got  away,  but  on  his  right  centre  and 
crumpled  right  the  lines  of  retreat  naturally  converged. 
The  retiring  masses  ran  into  each  other  in  the  darkness. 
Formations  were  broken.  They  became  a mob.  A dust- 
storm  such  as  only  Manchuria  can  raise  blinded  them. 
They  staggered  along  helpless. 

In  the  morning  light  the  thousands  left  on  the  fighting 
line  surrendered  and  forty  thousand  men  were  herded  by 
the  Japanese  north  of  Mukden  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
tombs  of  the  Manchu  emperors.  The  Russian  loss  was 
ninety-seven  thousand  men,  and  the  glory  of  the  Czar 
trailed  away  in  the  back  track  to  Siberia.  Back  a hundred 
and  fifty  miles  went  the  Russians  as  best  they  could  along 
the  railroad  until  they  reached  a range  of  hills  that  they 
held  until  the  Peace  of  Portsmouth  was  declared.  The 
Japanese  did  not  follow  in  force.  It  explains  in  some 
degree  why  the  Russians  held  out  at  the  conference  table 
in  New  Hampshire  against  all  indemnity.  Something  more 
certainly  was  in  it  than  the  stubbornness  in  the  Kalmuck 
jaw  of  Witte.  He  knew  and  the  Japanese  knew  that  Japan 
had  gone  her  limit. 

The  sun  was  getting  around  to  the  west  as  the  story 
of  this  great  Japanese  victory,  this  final  touch  to  the 
Russian  overthrow,  was  pricked  off  on  the  wide  landscape 
around  us,  and  it  gave  food  for  much  silent  thought  till 


OVER  THE  MANCHURIAN  BATTLEFIELD  383 


the  outlines  of  Mukden,  identifiable  by  the  dome  of  the 
new  railroad  depot,  arose  out  of  the  plain. 

And  the  thought  pointed  to  one  grim  conclusion,  that  in 
war  sacrifice  at  the  right  psychological  moment  is  the  key 
to  victory.  Kuropatkin  never  apparently  knew  when  to 
make  it.  The  Japanese  made  it  with  an  unparalleled 
lavishness.  Had  the  Russian  commander  made  it  on  his 
left  at  Liaoyang  or  his  right  at  Mukden,  made  it  umstint- 
edly  as  the  Japanese  did,  it  might  have  been  a different 
story.  As  we  have  seen  he  made  it  in  spite  of  himself  and 
too  late  when  he  tore  up  his  firm  lines,  abandoned  the  heroes 
on  his  right  and  turned  his  back  on  his  enemy.  In  the 
choice  of  occasion  lies  the  difference  between  defeat  and 
victory. 

One  thing  struck  me,  pleased  me.  Among  the  Japanese 
officers  of  high  grade  and  low  I found  a gallant  recognition 
of  the  strong  qualities  of  the  Russian  soldier.  Their 
opinion  of  the  Russian  officers  was  much  higher  too  than 
I expected.  They  laid  the  mistakes  of  the  Russians  where 
they  seemed  to  belong,  to  poor  information,  lack  of  superior 
initiative;  but  to  the  masterly  Russian  engineers  and  to 
the  general  military  qualities  of  officers,  rank  and  file  they 
were  fain  to  give  a manly  military  salute.  And  apropos 
of  the  matter  of  the  real  genius  of  the  campaign  they  tell 
a nice  little  malicious  story  in  Tokyo.  A lady  sympathized 
with  the  marchioness ; 

“You  must  suffer  horribly  with  your  dear  husband  ex- 
posed to  such  dangers,  all  the  slaughter  going  on  around 
him  and  the  terrible  responsibility  resting  on  him." 

“Oh,  not  at  all.  He  is  very  comfortable.  All  he  has  to 
do  is  to  sign  the  orders  that  Kodama  writes  out  for  him.” 

But  it  was  great  team-work  whoever  did  the  planning. 


CHAPTER  XXV 


PORT  ARTHUR  AND  KIAO-CHOW 

Two  sieges  won  by  the  Japanese — A fascinating  pilgrimage  ovei 
fortified  hills  and  mighty  forts  that  fell  before  valour  and 
eleven-inch  guns — The  war-lessons  of  the  fray — Russian 
bravery  as  well — The  lady’s  slippers. 

It  was  beyond  expectation  that  within  a couple  of  months 
of  my  visit  to  Port  Arthur,  a decade  after  the  great  siege, 
it  would  fall  to  the  Japanese  to  undertake  a very  similar 
task  within  a few  hundred  miles  of  the  Liaotung  Penin- 
sula. The  siege  of  Kiao-chow  presented  a problem  very 
similar  to  that  of  Port  Arthur,  but  it  was  considerably  less 
of  a task.  They  had  learned  their  art  of  war  from  the 
Germans,  and  were  now  able  to  give  them  a valuable  lesson 
in  return. 

Like  Port  Arthur  the  German  leased  territory  in  China, 
was  at  the  point  of  a peninsula  on  the  coast  of  China.  It 
also  encloses  a harbour  with  a highly  defensible  mouth 
making  evident  the  necessity  of  mainly  reducing  it  from  the 
land  side.  Its  hinterland  is  very  hilly,  like  that  of  Port 
Arthur;  indeed  it  is  in  some  ways  more  difficult.  Its  hill 
country  is  more  irregular.  There  is  one  long  valley  to  be 
sure,  but  it  is  too  obvious  to  be  altogether  tempting  as  an 
approach.  Then  it  has  some  dominating  peaks  and  a group 
of  hill  forts. 

The  town  of  Tsing-tao  in  the  German  territory  is  of 
greater  pretensions  than  the  town  of  Port  Arthur  was  when 
the  Russians  held  it.  In  a way  it  combines  the  conven- 

384 


PORT  ARTHUR  AND  KIAO-CHOW  385 

iences  of  Dalny,  now  Dairen,  with  those  of  the  Russian 
fortress  town.  It  is  the  fruit  of  a longer  growth. 

The  whole  settlement  had  some  advantages  for  defence 
over  Port  Arthur.  One  is  the  marshy  quality  of  so  much 
of  the  terrain  in  the  first  approach  from  the  land  in  the 
rear  of  Tsing-tao.  One  great  disadvantage  to  the  besieged 
was  the  smallness  of  the  garrison,  the  highest  estimate 
putting  it  at  seven  thousand  Germans  as  compared  with 
the  forty-seven  thousand  Russians  who  at  first  manned  the 
defence  of  Port  Arthur.  The  German  ships  in  the  harbour 
too  were  much  inferior  in  weight  of  metal  they  could  throw 
to  the  Russians  at  Port  Arthur.  While  this  kept  the 
German  naval  contingent  practically  out  of  action  so  far 
as  the  blue  water  was  concerned  it  may  be  remembered  of 
what  small  avail  the  larger  Russian  fleet  became  under 
the  weight  and  enterprise  of  the  Japanese  fleet  under 
Admiral  Togo. 

The  siege  of  Kiao-chow,  it  was  clear  from  the  Start, 
should  resolve  itself  into  an  investment  by  sea  and  land, 
to  be  carried  to  victory  mainly  by  the  forces  on  shore — 
Port  Arthur  over  again.  For  the  sake  of  the  besieged  as 
well  as  the  besiegers  it  was  well  that  Kiao-chow  did  not 
witness  the  human  suffering,  the  destruction  of  life  and 
material  that  marked  the  siege  and  fall  of  Port  Arthur. 
The  defence  indeed  proved  weak  and  inadequate,  and 
fortress  and  town  fell  to  the  first  assault  in  force,  after 
the  deliberate  and  well-planned  Japanese  advance  from  the 
land  side.  Landing  on  the  Chinese  coast  far  from  Kiao- 
chow  the  advance  to  the  rear  of  Tsing-tao  was  slow  on 
account  of  bad  weather.  Once  on  the  ground,  however,  no 
time  was  lost  in  beginning  the  fighting  and — ending  it. 

The  fortification  lessons  of  Port  Arthur  were  lost  on 
the  German  engineers  and  the  lesson  of  the  assaults  was 
not  lost  on  the  Japanese  and  British  allies  before 
Kiao-chow. 


386 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  BA.ND 


On  the  greater  field  of  the  war  in  Europe  it  may  be 
noted  that  the  Germans  alone  applied  from  the  very  start 
to  their  armies  in  the  field  the  great  lesson  of  the  Port 
Arthur  siege,  namely,  that  nothing  short  of  very  great 
guns  counts  against  modern  fortifications.  It  took  five 
months  of  unprecedented  sacrifice  of  life  for  the  Jap- 
anese to  learn  it.  Until  they  brought  up  their  eleven- 
inch  guns  from  their  fleet — the  guns  that  smashed  the 
tops  of  the  Russian  forts  to  flinders — they  could  not 
make  a serious  dent  in  the  defence. 

The  Germans  at  the  opening  of  the  European  war 
went  one  better  with  their  sixteen-inch  howitzers 
mounted  on  “caterpillars,”  and  their  work  at  Li^ge 
and  Antwerp  astonished  the  world.  The  Allies  in  the 
campaign  in  the  north  of  France  undoubtedly  drew  to 
some  small  extent  upon  their  navies  for  high-calibre  guns 
to  offset  the  great  German  siege  train  as  soon  as  they 
found  their  great  disadvantage,  but  it  was  really  toward 
the  end  of  the  second  year  of  the  war  that  they  brought 
into  action  in  sufficing  numbers  the  new  great  guns  that 
put  them  on  a par  with  their  enterprising  enemies. 

The  effectiveness  of  the  various  grades  of  modern 
artillery,  including  machine  guns,  was  thoroughly  tested 
in  the  Russo-Japanese  campaign,  not  to  speak  of  search- 
lights, land  mines,  live  electric  wires  and  wire  entangle- 
ments. The  French  have  shown  advances  since  in  the 
lighter  guns  as  to  range,  missile  and  rapidity  of  Are,  but 
no  other  great  change  is  visible  anywhere  in  the  twelve 
years  since  Port  Arthur  fell  compared  with  the  use  of 
aviators  to  keep  the  commanders  informed  as  to  move- 
ments of  the  enemy.  The  degree  of  destruction  which 
the  travellers  of  the  air  can  visit  on  the  enemy  beneath 
is  not  yet  very  high.  Like  the  submarine  the  aeroplane’s 
use  for  destruction  will,  without  doubt,  develop,  making 
the  lot  of  the  flghter  on  the  earth’s  or  water’s  surface 


PORT  ARTHUR  AND  KIAO-CHOW 


387 


still  more  difficult.  They  have  modified  strategy  but 
little;  but  they  will  influence  tactics  more  and  more. 

Finally,  the  example  of  the  Japanese  in  the  handling 
of  masses  of  infantry  has  profoundly  influenced  the 
world  of  war.  Despite  the  murderous  effectiveness  of 
the  machine  gun  and  the  modern  rifle,  they  revived  the 
use  of  the  bayonet  in  the  battle  charge.  It  had  been 
agreed  that  the  breechloading  rifle  had  made  the  bayonet 
obsolete.  Nothing  short  of  the  tremendous  courage  and 
limitless  devotion  of  the  young  soldiers  of  Nippon  could 
have  proved  the  contrary.  We  have  seen  how  their 
example  was  applied  in  the  Balkan  war  by  the  Serbs, 
Bulgarians  and  Greeks,  making  a surprising  end  of  the 
Turks.  It  is  not  astonishing,  then,  that  the  lesson  has 
been  applied  in  the  great  war  now  raging  in  Europe, 
making  the  combats  more  than  ever  strenuous  and 
deadly. 

It  was  something,  then,  to  have  been  so  recently  privi- 
leged to  visit  the  scene  of  the  historic  struggle  at  Port 
Arthur, 

My  son  and  I came  down  from  Mukden  in  the  comfort 
of  the  South  Manchurian  Railroad  and  stayed  long 
enough  at  Dalny,  now  Dairen,  to  see  how  completely  all 
traces  of  war  had  disappeared  from  that  costly  creation 
of  the  Russian  occupation  before  the  war  with  Japan. 
The  home  of  a flourishing  commerce  and  a hive  of  indus- 
try had  arisen  on  the  ruins  of  the  costly  experiment  of 
the  Russians.  Japanese  industry  and  enterprise  have 
transformed  the  place. 

Its  wharves  accommodate  a legion  of  freight  and  pas- 
senger-carrying steamers  and  are  piled  up  with  merchan- 
dise awaiting  transport.  Thousands  of  tons  of  soya  bean 
cake  like  piles  of  grindstones  keep  coming  in  and  going  out. 
At  the  South  IManehuria  Railroad  shops  they  are  building 
every  kind  of  railroad  car.  The  handsome  new  hotel  was 


388 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


ready  to  open.  An  air  of  cheer  and  prosperity  brightened 
the  faces  one  met.  But  Port  Arthur  was  our  objective,  and 
we  simply  stayed  overnight  at  Dairen  for  a morning  start 
to  the  fortress  town  at  the  spear  head  of  the  Liaotung 
Peninsula. 

It  is  a short  run  to  Port  Arthur.  We  arrived  before 
noon  and  noted  that  it  was  not  so  easy  to  hide  the  wounds 
of  war  here  as  it  had  been  at  Mukden,  Liaoyang  and 
Dairen;  the  cuts  had  been  too  deep.  But  that  did  not 
worry  the  inhabitants,  Japanese  or  Chinese.  They  were 
more  concerned  in  Port  Arthur’s  growth  as  a watering 
place — summer  and  winter — than  in  its  flaming  w^ar  history. 

And  truly  the  air  is  fresh  and  delightful  and  a joy  to 
any  one  coming  from  the  sun-baked  uplands  of  Manchuria 
or  the  roasting  spots  of  southern  China.  There  is  a gem 
of  a beach,  with  a good  seaside  hotel  and  there  is  excellent 
accommodation  in  Port  Arthur  itself.  But  we,  at  any  rate, 
were  there  to  look  into  its  battlepits  and  tread  its  battle 
heights,  so  we  may  be  permitted  to  pass  just  now  with  a 
glance  over  its  great  college  and  engineering  and  metal- 
lurgy, to  which  advanced  pupils  come  from  all  Japan  and 
find  one  of  the  best  equipped,  best  endowed  schools  in  the 
world;  over  its  fine  women’s  high  school  and  its  technical 
schools  of  many  grades.  There  is  a garrison  of  course  and 
a naval  headquarters,  and  a snug,  little  Yamato  Hotel — the 
name  common  to  all  the  well-kept  South  Manchurian  Rail- 
road caravansaries. 

We  were  given  the  pleasure  of  meeting  the  high  Port 
Arthur  officials  on  our  arrival,  and  the  handsome  Captain 
Hoshogawa,  a veteran  of  the  war,  was  courteously  assigned 
to  the  task  of  being  our  illuminator  among  the  scenes  of  the 
one  hundred  and  fifty-four  days  of  siege  in  1904-05 ; for  aU 
of  which  kindness  I beg  to  register  my  hearty  thanks. 

An  exquisite  afternoon  of  bright  sunshine,  blue  skj^  and 
high  white  clouds  it  was,  with  a gentle  breeze  blowing  when 


PORT  ARTHUR  AND  KIAO-CHOW 


389 


we  set  out  to  drive  to  203  Meter  Hill,  the  capture  of  which, 
by  the  Japanese  on  December  5,  1904,  opened  the  way  for 
the  fall  twenty-seven  days  later  of  the  great  fortress  with 
its  five  strong  forts  and  score  of  minor  fortifications  and 
miles  and  miles  of  trenches  on  the  long  arc  of  an  oval  from 
sea  to  sea.  Including  the  great  and  to  the  last  uncaptured 
forts  on  Golden  Hill  and  Tiger ’s  Tail  guarding  the  harbour 
mouth,  those  outer  hillside  forts,  lunettes,  batteries,  re- 
doubts formed  roughly  the  defensive  strength  of  Port 
Arthur.  The  town  lies  well  back  of  these  around  the 
water’s  edge.  The  fort-guarded  outer  are  is  maybe  five 
miles  long  and  its  eminences  are  some  two  miles  back  of  the 
harbour.  It  made  a very  strong  position. 

All  this  comes  out  gradually  as  we  trot  to  the  northwest 
through  the  picturesque,  modern  town  under  the  lee  of 
Monument  Hill  and  past  the  Russian  Memorial  out  into  the 
open  country.  The  overlapping  green-clad  hills  still 
plainly  gashed  with  trenches,  some  vertical,  some  slanting 
and  some  horizontal  and  crowned  with  dismantled  works, 
are  just  as  war’s  fury  left  them.  There  are  fine  military 
roads,  and  to  the  northwest  they  rise  on  easy  gradients, 
bringing  out  more  and  more  of  the  fascinating  landscape. 
One  feels  somehow  that  it  is  the  pit  of  a green  and  silver 
amphitheatre  where  a great  war  drama  has  been  played 
twice  and  may  be  played  again  with  another  shift  of  char- 
acters and  another  personnel. 

The  hill  we  were  seeking  lifted  its  two  rounded  shoulders 
above  us  and  a deep  green  valley  lay  below  us.  Alighting 
where  the  rise  became  too  steep  for  wheels,  we  went  afoot 
the  rest  of  the  way  up  a sharp  westerly  grade  for  half  a 
mile;  then,  turning  south  along  the  inner  (Russian)  side  of 
the  hills,  landed  on  the  rocky  summit,  just  in  front  of  the 
battle  monument,  and  just  before  us  the  other  peak  of  the 
hill  that  rises  some  twenty  feet  higher.  The  hilltop  is 
strewn  with  broken  rock  and  is  ten  feet  lower  than  when  it 


390 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


was  measured  to  receive  its  name — an  effect  of  the  terrific 
cannonade  that  it  endui’ed  in  October,  November  and 
December,  1904 — its  head  literally  blown  off. 

The  view  is  superb.  On  the  inner  eastern  side  it  gives 
one  a clear  idea  of  the  whole  defensive  system  of  the 
fortress.  It  dominates  everything.  The  girdle  of  over- 
lapping green  hills  is  seen  to  be  roughly  oval  from  west 
to  east,  curving  sharply  southward  at  the  eastern  end  and 
turning  from  where  we  stood  on  the  apex  of  the  hill  in  a 
south-east  sweep  to  Tiger’s  Tail  at  the  harbour  mouth. 
It  was  along  the  west  to  east  curve  that  the  Russians  had 
constructed  their  permanent  landward  forts  and  heavier 
works.  They  had  fortified  some  of  the  hills  around  203 
Meter  Hill,  but  curiously  had  done  nothing  for  the  high 
double-peaked  hill  itself  until  the  siege  was  under  way. 

Looking  north — the  point  from  which  it  was  ultimately 
taken — three  hiUs  with  moderate  slopes  are  seen  to  stand 
in  echelon,  namely,  Akasaka,  Namako  and  174  Meter  Hill. 
All  of  these  had  been  strongly  held,  but  174  Meter  Hill  was 
captured  in  August  as  one,  almost  the  only  fruit  of  the  first 
general  Japanese  assault.  It  stands  about  three-quarters 
of  a mile  from  203  Meter  Hill.  To  the  west  the  view 
ranged  across  country  to  a corner  of  Pigeon  Bay  on  the 
west  coast  of  the  promontory.  To  the  south  the  view  lay 
open  to  the  lofty  heights  of  Lao-ti-shan,  just  then  crowned 
with  a fleece  of  rolling  cloud.  The  view  to  the  harbour 
below  lay  fair  and  inviting  over  lesser  hills,  and  one 
thought  how  narrow  after  all  this  amphitheatre  of  the  giant 
struggle — the  silver  line  of  the  water  not  three  miles  away. 

And  this  was  203  Meter  Hill,  a broken  six-inch  Russian 
cannon  all  that  remained  of  its  war-time  outfit ! To  reach 
its  summit  had  cost  fifteen  thousand  brave  lives ; to  defend 
it  had  cost  thousands  also,  but  when  one  looked  down  the 
steep  ascent  up  which  the  assailants  had  come  in  spite  of 
concentrated  fire  and  many  kinds  of  obstacles  how  much 


PORT  ARTHUR  AND  KIAO-CHOW 


391 


greater  the  courage  needed  and  endurance  to  be  tested  to 
the  utmost  human  limit  for  such  assault.  The  western  side, 
up  which  the  assailants  came  and  went  and  came  again  for 
grievous  months,  is  not  so  deep  as  on  the  inner  side,  but 
is  far  steeper.  One  looked  in  wonder  that  men  should 
attempt  it. 

The  Boers  at  Majuba  Hill  in  South  Africa  had  won  a 
similar  height  by  surprise  in  their  first  brush  with  the 
British,  thus  furnishing  a model ; but  here  no  surprise  had 
been  possible;  still  they  came  to  it  and  stayed  by  it  till 
they  won.  Raking  Russian  fire  from  Akasaka  and  Namoka 
and  dropping  fire  from  other  points,  a line  of  Russian 
trenches  half-way  down  the  hill  and  encircling  it,  barbed- 
wire  entanglements  all  combined  to  make  it  seem  impossible 
of  achievement.  The  general  assault  of  August  had  not 
endangered  it.  In  the  assaults  of  September  it  seemed  all 
but  taken  by  the  ferocity  of  the  assault,  but  still  was 
securely  held. 

It  was  not  in  fact  until  the  eleven-inch  naval  guns  had 
been  planted  in  October  on  174  Meter  Hill  that  the  hold 
of  the  Russians  became  precarious.  It  did  not  fall  until 
December  5 after  continual  bombardment  and  an  assault 
unexampled  for  persistent  fierceness.  M.  Nojine,  a Russian 
journalist  in  Port  Arthur  through  the  siege,  thus  pictures 
the  assault  of  September  21 : 

“From  the  early  hours  of  the  twenty-first  the  Japanese 
attacked  203  Meter  Hill,  upon  which  their  gunfire  was  also 
concentrated.  The  whole  of  the  western  front  and  part  of 
the  eastern  replied  by  massed  fire.  The  assault  increased ; 
column  after  column  rushed  far  forward  to  203  Meter  Hill, 
covering  all  its  fore  hills  and  slopes  with  heaps  of  dead, 
but  at  8.45  a.m.  they  were  repulsed. 

“This  assault  was  marked  by  particular  obstinacy.  I 
myself  saw  how’,  when  their  attack  was  repulsed,  instead  of 
retreating,  the  Japanese  began  to  build  parapets  of  their 


392 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


dead  comrades  on  the  granite  slopes  of  the  hills.  From 
these  parapets  they  kept  up  rifle  fire  all  day  on  203  Meter 
Hill  and  its  spurs,  on  Fort  No.  5 and  on  the  military  road, 
making  all  communication  impossible.  From  morning 
until  late  in  the  evening  the  Japanese  guns  kept  up  a 
constant  bombardment  on  203  Meter  Hill,  and  its  position 
became  more  critical  every  hour. 

“Having  got  three-quarters  of  it  they  meant  to  get 
possession  of  the  whole  at  all  costs;  they  slowly  crawled 
upward,  fell  dead,  rolled  back,  and  others  dashed  forward ; 
they  lay  concealed  and  waited  for  reinforcements ; nothing 
would  drive  them  back.  All  their  thoughts,  all  their 
endeavours  were  to  get  possession  of  this  hill.  Our  men 
began  rolling  great  boulders  from  the  top.  These  bormded 
down,  flattened  out  the  dead  and  sought  out  the  living,  who 
in  dodging  exposed  themselves,  and  were  shot  by  our  men 
on  the  lookout.” 

During  the  night  of  September  21  “about  nine  hundred 
corpses  were  collected  under  203  Meter  Hill.”  No  greater 
tribute  to  Japanese  valour  can  be  given  than  the  above. 
The  assault  had  been  delivered  on  the  theory  of  General 
Nogi  that  no  bullet  went  so  sure  as  the  intelligent  “human 
bullet,”  but  the  theory  had  perforce  to  be  abandoned  except 
where  the  gun  support  was  adequate.  October  2 was  the 
day  on  which  it  was  abandoned  for  good,  when  the  eleven- 
inch  guns  were  put  in  position.  Thenceforth  the  hill  was 
doomed. 

The  men  were  called  on  for  no  less  an  effort  than 
before,  but  at  least  they  had  substantial  artillery  backing. 
Through  October  and  November  the  fight  went  on,  heroic 
doggedness  on  the  hill  and  deathless  valour  below.  The 
final  prolonged  series  of  assaults  which  won  the  hill  did  not 
begin  till  November  27.  Progress  with  the  whole  siege  had 
been  slow.  The  eastern  forts  held  out  stoutly.  It  should 
be  203  Meter  Hill  or  nothing. 


1.  BARRACKS  OF  XORTH  FORT,  KIKWA.NSHAX,  JAPAXESE 

TROOPS  AT  THEIR  RATIONS  AFTER  THE  CAPTURE 

2.  DEAD  OX  203  METER  HILL,  DECEMBER  5,  1904 

F'rdin  ji  Japanese  Photograph 


i 

1 


1.  ox  THK  SUMMIT  OF  203  METER  HILL,  PORT  ARTHUR 
Captniii  HciSokawii,  of  the  Japanese  Heavy  Artillery  and  M'ho  Fought 

throtigh  the  Siege,  standing  behind  tlie  Author  and  His  Son  Harry, 
both  Seated  on  a Big  Dismantled  Russian  Gun 

2.  RUSSIAN'  RESERVES  UNDER  203  METER  HILL.  PORT  ARTHUR 
Eroiii  a Wartime  l’hotograi)h.  The  Japanese  Assaults  tvere  from  the 

Other  and  Steeper  Side 


PORT  ARTHUR  AND  KIAO-CHOW 


393 


Words  fail  the  Russian  narrator  to  describe  the  fury  of 
the  fresh  Japanese  assaults.  “They  fought  and  fought  like 
fiends — fought  till  exhausted,  till  they  lost  consciousness, 
one  of  their  battalions  being  literally  swept  from  the  face 
of  the  earth.  It  was  dark  before  the  last  of  them  was 
driven  off  and  the  fighting  ceased;  but  there  was  no  rest, 
for  all  dug  through  the  night — in  many  cases  dug  their 
own  graves.  At  dawn  a single  shot  echoed  from  the 
besieging  lines,  and  in  a few  seconds  the  hill  was  a smoking 
crater — the  focus  of  concentrated  fire  of  many  guns  whose 
shells  were  bursting  in  clusters.  Then  the  assault  began 
and  continued  all  day.” 

But  the  agony  was  not  over  yet.  There  were,  we  learn, 
divided  counsels  among  the  Russians.  General  Stoessel, 
incompetent  by  temperament  and  training,  at  the  head  of 
affairs,  was  always  at  loggerheads  with  Smirnoff,  the  com- 
mandant, and  Kondratenko,  his  assistant,  the  able  soldiers 
who  really  made  the  great  defence.  Stoessel  was  for  let- 
ting the  fort  go.  Thousands  of  Russians  were  on  the  sick 
list ; food  \vas  shorter  than  ever.  The  defenders,  therefore, 
worked  under  great  difficulties. 

All  day  on  November  28  and  29  the  battle  raged  around 
the  hill.  Once  one  of  the  peaks  had  been  seized.  Assaults 
had  come  from  the  left  and  from  the  right.  After  long 
argument  Smirnoff  succeeded  in  getting  reinforcements 
from  Stoessel ; the  Russians  regained  the  hill  on  the  morn- 
ing of  November  30.  On  the  fourth  day  the  attack  was 
repeated  in  greater  crescendo.  “What  took  place  there,” 
says  Nojine,  “cannot  be  written  of  with  an  ordinary  pen: 
it  could  only  be  described  in  blood.”  The  Russian  loss  in 
wounded  had  been  over  four  thousand  men  and  thirty-seven 
officers.  What  must  the  assailants’  losses  have  been? 

On  December  2 the  hill  w’as  still  in  Russian  hands.  On 
December  3 the  assault  was  renewed  in  a hurricane  of  war. 
All  that  day  and  the  next  it  raged,  scarcely  dying  down  at- 


394 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


night.  On  December  4,  bright  and  frosty,  Nojine  says: 

“It  was  now  hardly  a fight  that  was  taking  place  on  this 
accursed  spot ; it  was  a struggle  of  human  flesh  against  iron 
and  steel,  against  blazing  petroleum,  lyddite,  pjTOxyline 
and  melinite  and  the  stench  of  rotting  corpses.  It  was  the 
last  day  but  one  of  the  long-drawn  agony.” 

The  Russians  were  still  there  on  the  shattered  crest,  in 
the  crumbled  trenches  under  the  sweeping  hail  of  shells. 
All  day  the  battle  went  on,  the  Japanese  mounting  higher 
and  higher.  At  nightfall  they  were  still  creeping,  push- 
ing, struggling  upward.  Officer  after  officer  was  shot  down 
among  the  Russians.  At  last  as  the  sun  rose  on  December 
5,  with  wild  cries  of  “Banzai!”  the  Japanese  came  over 
the  top,  the  Rising  Sun  flag  fljdng,  and  di'iving  the 
Russians  before  them. 

It  was  not  even  then  too  late,  even  the  Japanese  say,  to 
recover  the  hill  if  only  for  a time.  They  could  for  one 
thing  have  been  shelled  from  a hill  in  the  rear ; could  even 
have  been  attacked  if  the  charge  had  been  delivered  at 
once.  It  was  not.  The  divided  counsels  made  for  Russian 
delay.  Japanese  entrenchments  went  up  like  magic. 

The  Japanese  carried  up  sandbags,  and  got  up  their  men. 
A feeble  attempt  at  attack  was  made  next  day,  but  it  was 
easily  repelled ; 203  Meter  Hill  was  lost  to  Russia — and  the 
knife  was  in  the  vitals  of  the  Port  Arthur  defence.  The 
Japanese  never  fortified  the  hill ; they  pretended  to.  What 
they  did  was  to  erect  a signal  tower  on  the  higher  peak, 
from  which  they  directed  the  fire  of  the  eleven-inch  navy 
guns  at  174  Meter  Hill  on  the  Russian  fleet  in  the  harbour, 
sinking  them  at  their  moorings.  The  great  forts  along  the 
eastern  front  still  remained,  but  their  doom  was  sealed; 
there  were  other  eleven-inch  guns  within  range  of  them. 

Looking  around  it  was  hard  to  conjure  up  the  horrors 
and  terrors  of  those  days  of  blood  and  fire.  The  green- 
.clad,  smoothly-rounded  hills  had  no  sign  of  war  about 


PORT  ARTHUR  AND  KIAO-CHOW 


395 


them ; the  shattered  six-inch  Russian  gun  on  the  noi  them 
end  of  the  plateau  served  for  a seat  for  our  party.  Rank 
green  weeds  strove  through  the  broken  rocks  on  the  sacred 
ground.  Below  the  declining  sun  was  gilding  the  slopes 
of  the  cultivated  valleys  and  the  aprons  of  the  hills  that 
ran  eastward  from  Akasaka  by  Erlungshun,  Bodai  and 
across  to  the  North  Fort  of  Tung-chi-kwan-san.  It  made 
the  far  waters  of  the  western  harbour  glisten  and  brought 
strongly  out  the  white  houses  at  the  water’s  edge.  Golden 
Hill,  the  high  and  haughty  at  the  harbour  mouth,  and 
Tiger’s  Tail,  nearer  and  lower,  all  stood  out  in  the  golden 
light.  All  was  bland  and  serene. 

The  next  morning  was  warm  and  misty.  "We  visited 
Monument  Hill  and  the  touching  memorial  battle  shrine, 
as  I have  told  elsewhere.  We  drove  down  to  the  Navy  Club 
in  the  old  town  at  the  harbour’s  edge  and  were  met  by  a 
natty  young  officer  in  spotless  white  uniform  who  explained 
to  us  the  fine  model  showing  the  naval  operations  in  and 
outside  the  harbour. 

Interest  centred  on  the  efforts  to  seal  the  mouth  of  the 
harbour,  four  attempts  by  the  Japanese  and  at  least  as 
many  by  the  Russians  themselves,  the  former  to  keep  the 
Russians  in ; the  latter  to  keep  the  Japanese  out.  The  first 
Japanese  attempt  was  made  by  Commander  Hirose  when 
his  sacrifice  ship  went  on  the  rocks  under  Golden  Hill.  His 
second  attempt  was  made  with  many  other  heroic  volunteers 
on  four  ships,  and  in  this  he  lost  his  life  near  Tiger ’s  Tail. 
At  least  thirty  ships  dotted  the  model  to  show  where  the 
small  ships  sunk  by  the  Russians  lay  as  they  went  down. 

Thus  instructed  in  the  progress  of  the  siege  from  the 
naval  point  of  view,  the  Lieutenant  took  us  aboard  a smart 
little  naval  tender  and  we  steered  out  through  the  harbour 
entrance,  only  one  thousand  feet  across,  with  Golden  Hill 
rising  sheer  in  naked  rock  on  our  left  and  the  lower  but 
forbidding  rocky  shore  of  Tiger’s  Tail  on  our  right.  With 


396 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


quiet  precision  the  Lieutenant  pointed  out  the  spots  where 
the  Japanese  vessels  were  sunk,  how  so  many  drifted  away 
from  their  intended  point  of  submergence  and  where  the 
crew  of  one  of  the  doomed  vessels  that  had  been  thrown 
against  the  rocks  of  Golden  Hill  clambered  up  the  pro- 
jections where  they  were  annihilated  by  rifle  fire  from 
above. 

Then  as  we  pushed  out  into  the  open  sea  he  pointed  out 
where  the  Russian  battleship  was  sunk  by  a floating  mine, 
carrying  with  it  all  on  board,  including  Admiral  Makaroff, 
the  fleet  commander,  and  Yerestchagin,  the  great  Russian 
painter.  He  showed  us  where  the  Japanese  battleships  lay 
ten  miles  off  shore  under  Admiral  Togo’s  command,  just 
letting  their  funnel  tops  be  seen  from  shore. 

Through  the  heaving  waters  outward  for  a mile  and  then 
back  to  the  wharf  inside  again.  Fair  behind  the  centre  of 
the  harbour  mouth  with  a stretch  of  silver  water  to  the 
shore  rose  the  symmetrical  bow-shaped  curve  of  Monument 
HUl,  the  white  uplifted  finger  of  the  tower  at  its  crest,  an 
exclamation  point  of  victory.  It  was  a picture  to  treasure 
in  the  memory  in  a day  of  pictures. 

Ashore  we  visited  the  "VVar  Museum  near  by,  with  gi’eat 
Russian  guns  of  many  fashions  and  dates,  captured  with 
the  fortress  lining  the  approach,  some  of  them  dented, 
smashed  or  warped  by  Japanese  shot  and  shell.  Over  a 
bridge  with  a balustrade  fashioned  fantastically  of  gun 
carriage  wheels  we  passed  and  then  on  and  thi'ough  an 
array  of  shells  of  eveiy  shape  and  size,  like  an  asparagus 
bed  of  steel.  Entanglements  of  barbed  and  common  wire 
strung  upon  painted  posts,  wooden  chevaux  de  frise  for 
stopping  cavalry,  planks  with  upstanding  nail  points  were 
about — obstacles  of  Russian  invention  or  application  from 
the  works  of  the  siege. 

Within,  the  collection  of  weapons  and  other  man-killing 
devices  was  very  varied,  as  well  it  might  be  with  the  debris 


PORT  ARTHUR  AND  KIAO-CHOW 


397 


of  such  a terrible  battlefield  to  glean  from.  There  were 
cases  full  of  Russian  uniforms,  caps,  boots,  rifles,  bayonets, 
on  every  side,  very  dusty  and  very  grim. 

The  only  romantic  touch  of  all  was  a pair  of  dainty  white 
satin  slippers  found  in  the  wreckage  of  a deserted  casemate 
of  the  great  North  Fort  after  the  flight  or  death  of  the 
owner  of  the  tall  war  boots  found  standing  beside  them. 
Whether  she  who  wore  them  was  a reincarnation  of  Joan 
of  Arc,  a colonel’s  devoted  wife  or  reckless  lady  of  lighter 
love,  who  can  tell?  The  little  slippers  would  fit  many  a 
foot.  One  Russian  woman  at  least  was  found  to  have 
served  in  soldier’s  uniform  through  most  of  the  siege. 
From  her  picture  it  can  be  concluded  that  the  slippers  were 
not  hers. 

After  lunch,  accompanied  by  the  good  Captain  Hosokawa 
of  the  Coast  Artillery,  who  commanded  a battery  in  the 
battles  on  the  eastern  front  during  the  siege,  we  started  in 
carriages  up  the  sweep  of  the  north-east  mountain  road  that 
rises  gradually  to  the  foot  of  the  hill  on  which  stood  the 
fort  of  Tung-chi-kwan-san.  Ascending  to  the  narrow 
plateau  we  gazed  across  the  valley  to  Takushan,  which,  as 
an  outwork,  cost  so  many  noble  lives  in  the  assault  of 
August  8. 

Great  was  the  struggle  for  the  fort  above  us,  but  I was 
anxious  to  see  the  North  Fort  of  Kwan-san,  where  war 
was  at  its  worst,  and  Erlungshun,  the  most  extensive  per- 
manent Russian  work,  and  with  the  North  Fort  the  most 
stubbornly  contested.  We  passed  around  the  valley  edge 
behind  the  mountain  and  wound  up  to  where  the  North 
Fort  had  been  dug  for  the  most  part  from  the  solid  rock. 
What  it  must  have  looked  in  its  strength  and  pride  one 
might  guess  from  the  ruins. 

A rock-cut  fosse  twenty  feet  deep  and  as  many  wide  had 
surrounded  it.  The  galleries  and  barracks  had  been  hol- 
lowed from  the  rock  and  arched  over  with  massive  re- 


398 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


inforced  concrete  in  which  steel  rails  formed  a network. 
So  of  the  casemates  and  lunettes.  Held  by  a sufficient 
force  of  riflemen,  armed  as  it  was  Avith  heavy  six-inch  guns, 
quick-firers  and  machine  guns,  it  would  seem,  while 
ammunition  lasted,  impregnable  to  any  attack  save  that  of 
General  Hunger  and  General  Thirst ; yet  it  was  bitten  into 
by  the  desperate  teeth  of  Japan  in  a series  of  terrific  fights, 
and  occupied  in  part  and  so  held  literally  breast  to  breast 
with  the  enemy. 

It  was  here  that  General  Kondratenko,  the  life  and  soul 
of  the  heroic  defence,  was  killed  by  an  eleven-inch  shell  on 
December  15,  when  the  generals  with  whom  he  was  holding 
council  were  killed  also.  "With  a final  explosion  of  djma- 
mite,  followed  by  a blasting  hand-to-hand  struggle  with  the 
last  defenders,  slain^  almost  to  a man,  it  passed  into  the 
hands  of  the  Japanese  on  December  18. 

Noav,  ten  years  after,  all  was  still  appalling  ruin.  Shat- 
tered counterscarp,  exploded  roof,  crumbling  passages 
choked  with  broken  rock  met  the  eye  in  succession.  Bend- 
ing low  after  crossing  the  fosse  on  the  pile  of  detritus,  one 
crawled  into  these  stricken  halls  of  the  strong  and  saw  in 
the  galleries  the  same  agony  of  broken  arch  and  rock 
column  on  all  sides. 

Here  it  was  that  the  Japanese  after  months  of  sapping 
and  mining  and  exploding  gained  a corner  of  the  fort  and 
held  it,  the  defenders  unable  to  dislodge  them  and  they 
unable  to  gain  an  inch.  In  addition  to  machine  guns  each 
side  stormed  the  other  in  this  little  corner  of  hell  with  hand 
grenades  of  dynamite,  pausing  every  now  and  then  in  a 
truce  of  mercy  to  extricate  and  bury  their  dead,  and  again 
beginning  the  work  of  mutual  extermination  in  the  heart 
of  the  hill.  How  had  the  beleaguered  strong  ever  come  to 
that  dire  pass ; how  had  the  advancing  foe  come  with  life 
so  far? 

Out  on  the  glacis  beyond  the  fosse  one  looked  down  on 


PORT  ARTHUR  AND  KIAO-CHOW 


399 


the  wide  apron  of  the  hill  to  a now  smiling  valley  three- 
quarters  of  a mile  wide  and  then  rising  gently  to  the  slopes 
of  the  lower  fortified  hills  beyond.  It  had  been  no  easy 
task  to  reduce  these  outlying  sentinels.  Miracles  of  valour 
had  been  multiplied  in  creeping  up  their  fronts  and  sides 
by  night  and  day  before  they  had  been  captured.  But  the 
same  method  failed  utterly  on  the  greater  works. 

In  the  first  assaults  thousands  fell.  Captain  Hosokawa 
told  me  that  for  two  days  his  battery,  stationed  two  miles 
away,  had  rained  three-inch  shells  on  the  roof  of  the  fort. 
“As  well  have  pounded  it  with  dried  peas,”  he  said.  The 
“human  bullet”  scheme  had  been  tried  and  despite  partial 
successes  failed.  There  was  nothing  for  it  but  the  spade 
and  the  heavy  gun. 

So  we  look  with  understanding  down  the  slope  to  the 
right  for  half  a mile  and  see  the  gash  of  the  great  zigzag 
line  of  the  approach  by  trenching  tools.  It  had  been  slow 
w'ork,  deep  and  open  and  not  long  to  be  concealed  from  the 
besieged.  At  last  it  reached  a point  where  not  only  could 
it  be  seen  but  could  not  be  protected,  and  then  the  engineers 
resorted  to  the  tunnel.  Not  long  had  they  been  at  this 
when  the  Russians  found  it  out  and  began  furiously  to 
countermine  toward  the  Japanese — two  sets  of  human 
moles  scraping  their  way  to  meet  in  the  dark. 

Would  I ascend  to  Bodai — the  Eagle’s  Nest — a bare, 
pointed  hill  towering  conical  and  sharp  above  us,  with  two 
long  disabled  Russian  guns  still  pointing  northward  over 
valley  and  hill  beyond?  One  who  has  been  on  203  Meter 
Hill  can  picture  that  without  the  climb.  So  we  drive  be- 
hind Bodai  and  begin  to  mount  up  the  massive  back  of 
Erlungshun,  the  mightiest  fort  on  the  great  fighting  line. 

Broader,  wider,  deeper,  with  rock-cut  fosse  and  counter- 
scarp, its  capture  presented  even  greater  problems  than  the 
North  Fort.  For  one  thing  it  had  room  in  its  long  galleries 
for  a weightier  force  of  defenders — it  carried  heavier  guns 


400 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


and  more  of  them.  It  was  supported  right  and  left  by 
lesser  forts  and  redoubts,  Sangshu  on  the  left  being  very 
strong  indeed.  A short  mile  in  front  it  had  a stout  advance 
guard  in  Fort  Kuropatkin,  and  nearer  in  the  same  line  were 
the  fort  and  armed  trenches  protecting  the  water  works. 
The  Temple  lunettes  were  a little  to  the  left  in  front. 
Surely,  it  was  a strong  castle  on  a hill. 

It  held  up  firm  even  when  its  outlying  supports  were 
taken  one  by  one,  but  at  last  the  eleven-inch  guns  were  at 
work  on  it  and  it  was  crumbling  inch  by  inch.  Fort 
Kuropatkin  had  been  swept  over.  The  water  works  had 
been  cut  and  held  (the  fortress  still  had  ample  water  from 
its  wells),  the  Panlury  forts  on  its  right  had  fallen 
December  5,  following  the  capture  of  203  Meter  Hill,  two 
miles  away  on  the  west.  Sangshu,  on  its  left,  had  the 
Japanese  almost  at  its  walls.  The  days  and  nights  follow- 
ing ring  with  tales  of  heroism,  tales  of  burrowing,  of 
explosions  of  tons  of  dynamite  overwhelming  the  assaulting 
party,  and  the  latter,  where  not  slain  outright,  calling  from 
beneath  the  debris  to  the  comrades  coming  to  extricate 
them; 

“Never  mind  us.  Crown  the  crater!  Go  on!  Don’t 
lose  this  chance!” 

And  trampling  over  their  bodies  on  they  went.  Like 
that  of  intermingling  fiends  was  the  struggle  that  followed 
there  in  that  heaped-up  fosse,  through  those  ruined  case- 
mates, along  those  shattered,  cluttered  galleries,  hand  to 
hand,  foot  to  foot,  blade  to  blade,  with  shots  and  yells 
and  shrieks. 

It  did  not  last  long,  but  long  enough  to  stretch  or  tumble 
its  defenders  dead — and  Erlungshun  was  taken. 

The  curtain  falls  on  the  defence  of  Port  Arthur  with 
20,500  sick  and  wounded  in  the  Russian  hospitals  and  the 
fighting  strength  reduced  to  18,000  men,  with  1,000  army 
non-combatants.  Some  of  the  officers  were  for  fighting 


PORT  ARTHUR  AND  KIAO-CHOW 


401 


further  on  contracted  lines,  but  the  end  would  come  sooner 
or  later.  When,  however,  we  recall  that  the  complete 
release  of  General  Nogi’s  victorious  army  allowed  it  to  be 
the  turning  factor  in  the  battle  of  Mukden  two  months 
later  there  was  some  reason  in  the  penalties  dealt  out  to 
Stoessel  and  Fock  on  their  return  to  Russia  after  the  war. 

Contrasting  with  the  great  destinies  one  heard  stories  of 
the  Chinese  inhabitants,  the  natives,  to  whom  all  this 
parade  of  slaughter  and  heroic  endeavour  was  a mockery, 
who  worked  indifferently  for  whomsoever  paid  them ; who 
risked  their  lives  to  pick  up  spent  bullets  for  which  they 
were  paid  half  a cent  apiece,  and  who  stole  out  at  night 
to  rob  the  corpses  of  the  fallen  for  the  few  coppers,  the 
cheap  trinket,  the  watch  perhaps  they  found  in  the  clothes, 
even  digging  up  the  graves  in  their  ghastly  gleaning  of 
the  battlefield. 

“My  crop,”  one  of  them  remarked  with  an  appealing 
smile  when  they  asked  him  what  he  had  in  a small  parcel 
of  such  treasure. 

In  less  exciting  times  he  was  a farmer  where  the  shells 
were  now  falling. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 


A GLIMPSE  OF  NORTHERN  CHINA 

Miikden  and  Manchui’ia — The  upstanding  Manchus — The  land 
of  soya  beans — The  imperial  tombs — The  railroad  to 
Peking — The  Great  Wall — Some  of  the  sights  of  Peking,  the 
city  of  the  dead  empire  and  living  people — The  busy  streets 
and  the  silent  ones — The  spirit  walls — The  Altar  of  Heaven, 
the  temple  of  Confucius — The  Lamasery — The  Summer  Palace 
— The  Forbidden  City. 

I WENT  to  China  for  two  reasons,  either  good  enough.  The 
first  and  main  reason  was  to  get  a chance  to  do  some  writing 
in  comparative  peace.  If  I could  see  a little  of  China  well 
and  good.  I would  keep  my  eyes  open.  A month  back  I 
had  had  a talk  with  Baron  Kato,  the  Japanese  Foreign 
Minister  and  he  had  said  on  the  topic  of  China  in  the  course 
of  our  discussion  of  the  business  ambitions  of  Japan:  “Yes, 
our  Japanese  merchants  and  bankers  are  pushing  their 
trade  in  China,  and  succeeding  well.  It  was  natural  this 
should  be  so.  It  was  an  immense  market,  and  when  fully 
opened  China  would  be  a very  great  customer.  She  needed 
more  railroads  to  develop  herself,  and  unfortunately  Japan 
had  not  the  money  to  build  them.”  He  was  not  sure  that 
Yuan  Shill  Kai  wmuld  be  long  secure  there.  Certainlj'  the 
government  viewed  as  a Republic  was  unrealizable.  Can 
he  make  himself  an  emperor?  I asked.  “I  scarcely  think 
so,”  he  replied.  “Yuan  does  not  belong  to  a really  noble 
family.  He  has  all  the  daring  perhaps,  and  is  by  long  odds 
their  ablest  man.” 

My  first  steps  in  China  were  on  coming  up  from  Korea 

402 


A GLIMPSE  OF  NORTHERN  CHINA 


403 


and  crossing  the  Yalu  River  over  a long  steel  bridge  to  the 
considerable  town  of  Antung  in  Manchuria.  Near  here  it 
was  that  the  Japanese  army  under  General  Kuroki  fought 
the  battle  of  the  Yalu  on  May  1,  1904,  forcing  the  crossing 
tinder  Russian  fire  and  occupied  the  town  of  Antung.  It 
was  the  first  land  cla  ^^h  of  the  belligerents.  A new  munici- 
pality it  presents  little  of  interest  to  the  traveller.  There 
is  a Japanese  quarter  whose  inhabitants  make  about  one- 
fourth  of  the  population.  The  rest  is  trade  and  Chinese 
squalour.  Mukden,  toward  which  I was  bent,  was  one 
hundred  and  seventy  miles  away,  and  after  a short  stop 
including  a cursory  examination  of  baggage  by  the  Chinese 
customs  officials,  busy  little  chaps,  quite  polite,  my  son  and 
I continued  our  journey  as  night  was  closing  in.  That 
night  we  slept  in  the  Yamato  Hotel  in  Mukden.  The  name 
of  Mukden  has  been  carried  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  as 
giving  its  name  to  the  great  battle  fought  in  its  vicinity  in 
January,  1905,  and  the  correspondents  with  both  the  Rus- 
sian and  Japanese  armies  told  a lot  about  its  history  to  a 
world  not  enraptured  over  its  name.  It  was  from  this  town 
known  to  China  as  Feng-tien,  that  the  Manchu  overlords 
sprung  to  empire  in  1625,  making  it  their  capital  until 
1644  when  they  removed  to  Peking  where  their  rule  held 
good  until  1910.  Hence  it  has  been  for  near  three  cen- 
turies a place  of  imperial  memories  with  empty  palaces 
to  show  to  the  curious  during  all  that  time  and  since.  I 
saw  them  in  the  hands  of  minor  officials  who  ushered  one 
about  with  a quaint  apathy.  Mukden  is  a walled  city  of 
over  one  hundred  thousand  inhabitants,  and  like  all  I 
subsequently  saw  of  China  impressed  one  as  ancient 
magnificence  of  site  and  architecture  embedded  in  modern 
and  crowded  squalor.  i\Ionumental  gates,  broad  streets 
and  a jumble  of  houses,  ramshackle  and  irregular,  running 
over  with  human  beings.  But  the  Manchus  themselves 
strike  one  favourably  as  a fine  race  with  tall,  athletic 


404 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


figures  and  good  open  faces.  They  walk  with  a fine,  free 
carriage.  The  men  shave  the  front  half  of  the  skull  and 
wear  their  pigtails  down  the  back — the  pigtails  that  the 
Manchu  emperors  imposed  on  the  Chinese  and  which  the 
Chinese  with  one  accord  cut  off  as  soon  as  the  Manchu 
emperors  were  deposed.  They  dress  in  dark-blue  pyjamas. 
Their  women*  are  also  tall  and  wear  extraordinary  high 
head-dresses,  some  in  high  puffs,  others  wearing  a great 
triangle  over  which  the  hair  is  turned.  The  streets  are 
unpaved  and  turn  from  mud  to  dust  as  the  elements  desire. 
While  I was  there  they  called  for  dust  and  got  it.  There 
is  indeed  a dusty,  unseemly  look  over  all.  Old  Mukden  is 
dirtily  picturesque.  It  has  one  long,  fairly  wide  street 
lined  with  all  sorts  of  shops  and  businesses  carried  on 
frankly  in  front — carpenters,  blacksmiths,  wheelwrights — 
one  of  the  latter  repairing  an  ancient  Manchurian  wheel 
which  I would  have  thought  coeval  with  Noah — a large 
central  timber  from  rim  to  rim  instead  of  a hub  and  from 
which  two  Cyclopean  spokes  ran  out  to  the  felly  on  either 
side.  Most  shops  are  open,  but  there  are  a few  glazed 
windows  and  before  many  of  the  houses  are  hanging  signs 
of  bronze  and  metal  pieces  and  strips  of  coloured  cloth 
with  tassels,  which,  with  the  perpendicular  signs  in  ideo- 
graphs, give  the  town  a gay  appearance  that  somehow 
triumphs  over  the  dirt  one  sees  everywhere.  They  are 
great  feeders,  these  Manehus,  eating  freely  in  the  open  be- 
tween meals,  and  the  many  big  restaurants  of  the  cheapest 
kind  seem  always  crowded  with  men  hungrily  devouring 
their  soups  and  vegetables.  The  country  around  seems 
prospering  agriculturally,  the  great  plain  being  mostly 
sown  in  the  new  crop  of  the  oily  soya  bean  which  the  rail- 
road obligingly  carries  off  mostly  to  make  soap  for  civi- 
lization it  seems  and  to  furnish  cattle  feed.  It  is  worth 
while  to  note  the  peasants  toiling  in  the  long  furrows  while 
their  wives  in  grand  clothes  gather  for  a chat  in  the  shade 


A GLIMPSE  OF  NORTHERN  CHINA 


405 


of  a few  trees.  Two  things  a Chinaman  must  save  for  early 
and  late,  first  to  buy  a wife  and  next  to  buy  a coffin. 
Having  bought  her  of  her  father  at  a stiff  price,  he  must 
treat  her  well  or  she  will  leave  him.  Hence,  poor  chap, 
saving  for  his  coffin  is  slow  work. 

The  Mukden  monument  I heard  most  of  during  the 
Russo-Japanese  war  was  the  Pei-ling  or  imperial  tombs. 
There  are  two,  one  on  a mountain  to  the  north-east  and 
another  the  burial  place  of  a real  emperor,  empress  and 
imperial  concubine,  to  the  north-west.  The  latter  is  nearer 
and  that  I set  out  to  visit.  Passing  out  through  a city  gate 
I saw  a group  of  loaded  camels  setting  out  on  some  long 
journey — a reminder  that  the  great  desert  of  Gobi  stretched 
out  not  so  very  far  away. 

The  day  was  clear  and  warm,  and  the  great  Manchurian 
plain  as  we  trundled  in  a droshky  (made  in  Odessa)  over 
horribly  lumpy  roads  lay  like  a billiard  table  before  us, 
green  with  the  growing  crops  that  the  conical-hatted 
Manchurians,  their  pigtails  down  their  backs,  were  tending 
as  we  passed.  Our  route  was  northward,  and  as  the  town 
receded  behind  us  we  seemed  entering  a sea  of  verdure 
with  distant  shores  marked  as  it  were  by  a coast  line  of 
trees.  On  the  outskirts  of  the  town  we  passed  through  a 
great  graveyard,  the  most  extraordinary  I had  ever  seen. 
The  sandy  soil  was  tossed  in  all  directions  into  hills  and 
hollows.  Not  a blade  of  grass.  A few  inscribed  low 
square-cut  pillars  marked  some  few  tombs.  Here  and  there 
were  new-made  graves  showing  a cone  of  bare  earth  with  a 
cap-piece  of  mud  or  clay.  To  make  the  cone  the  earth  had 
been  shovelled  up  from  all  around  it.  Then,  we  were  told, 
some  Chinese,  believing  (on  account  of  the  growth  of  the 
town)  that  the  whole  graveyard  would  be  commandeered 
for  residences,  had  been  removing  their  dead.  Anyway,  it 
was  a forlorn  miserable  sight.  The  tombs  of  the  emperors 
are  some  four  miles  out.  For  scores  of  years  they  had  been 


406 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


neglected.  The  then  reigning  Manchus  had  done  little  or 
nothing  to  keep  them  in  repair.  Grass  invaded  the  enclo- 
sures : timbers  exposed  to  the  elements  were  washed  almost 
clear  of  paint : roofs  were  losing  tiles : decay  on  every  side. 
For  the  last  four  years,  however,  the  local  Manchurian 
(Chinese)  government  had  been  repairing  and  renovating. 
The  roads,  as  we  approached  the  groves  of  trees  that  stand 
around  the  tombs,  were  in  better  shape,  and  finally  w'hen 
we  reached  the  tombs  we  found  a national  monument  where 
the  glaringly  new  in  tiles  and  paint  was  replacing  the 
decayed  and  mellowed.  It  will  take  another  ten  years  to 
give  it  the  patine  of  time  which  belongs  of  right  to  the  old 
— if  not  the  venerable — in  mortuary  shrines.  Anyway, 
now  that  the  Manchu  dynasty  was  relegated  to  private  life, 
and  Yuan  shih  Kai  ruled  in  the  name  of  a republic  at 
Peking,  it  showed  something  of  a germinating  patriotism 
to  take  this  care  of  an  olden  mausoleum  of  a race  of  rulers 
deposed  and  suppressed.  It  may  be  noted  that  the 
Manchus  had  not  cut  olf  their  queues,  so  this  people  once 
dominant  are  still  tall  and  stalwart,  industrious  and  hardy, 
if  as  yet  embedded  in  the  habits  and  ways  of  the  past,  may 
count  for  something  in  the  distant  future  of  Asia  when 
education  has  done  its  deadly  wmrk. 

The  work  is  over  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  old.  It 
has  the  “temple”  laying-out  which  has  been  indicative  of 
Asia  from  the  time  of  Solomon  and  doubtless  long  before 
— that  is  a series  of  buildings  within  an  enclosure  of 
mounting  degrees  of  sanctity,  the  highest  or  holiest  the  last. 
Thus  mystery  and  exclusiveness  (privilege)  were  main- 
tained in  strueture  as  well  as  in  imagination,  in  the  in- 
terests of  the  priesthood,  the  potentate  and  the  ruling  caste. 

Here  the  endeavour  was  toward  stateliness  and  magni- 
ficence as  it  was  understood  in  northern  China  of  the  time. 
The  Manchu  capital  was  here  at  Mukden  (Feng-tien). 
They  ruled  at  the  palace  and  at  respectable  distance  their 


A GLIMPSE  OF  NORTHERN  CHINA 


407 


tombs  should  be.  The  wall  enclosure  is  a long  parallelo- 
gram with  a three-arched,  one-roofed  gate  of  entrance  (now 
kept  closed).  It  faces  the  length  of  the  enclosure  and  a 
long  stone-paved  avenue  (still  grass  grown),  called  the  Road 
of  the  Spirit,  runs  up  from  it,  flanked  on  either  .side  by  six 
large  statues  of  animals,  thus:  lion,  griffin,  griffin,  horse, 
camel  (kneeling),  elephant.  They  are  very  badly  done, 
and,  except  the  griffins,  look  like  a poor  attempt  to  imitate 
Western  sculpture.  They  are  to  signify  doubtless  the 
Emperor's  rule  over  the  lands  of  the  horse  (Tartars), 
camels  (southern  Mongols),  elephants  (Indian)  and 
griffins  (China).  At  the  further  end  of  the  avenue  rises 
the  two-roofed  structure  enclosing  the  imperial  mortuary 
monument  which  consists  of  a tall  oblong  shaft  about  fifteen 
feet  high  with  a sculptured  cap  rounded  at  the  edges. 
There  is  a large  lettered  inscription  in  the  upper  part,  and 
a very  long  inscription  in  one-half  inch  characters  running 
down  in  several  columns  on  the  lower  part,  vaunting,  no 
doubt,  the  lands  the  dead  monarch  ruled  and  the  things  he 
did  or  was  supposed  to  have  done.  The  shaft  is  borne  on 
the  back  of  a nine-foot  tortoise  much  conventionalized  as 
to  the  legs  and  with  a long  thick  protruding  neck  and 
head,  with  short  tusks  evidently  modelled  from  a walrus! 
The  sculptor  had  probably  never  seen  either,  unless  he  had 
an  idea  of  including  the  North  pole  and  the  Far  South  in 
one  composite  animal. 

A little  beyond  the  tomb  on  each  side  is  an  isolated  column 
— wang-in-to — with  a peculiar  frame-like  protuberance  on 
each  side  near  the  top.  It  recalls  the  Sorinto  at  Nikko. 

The  quadrangle  covering  the  imperial  mound  beyond  the 
tomb  is  really  fine.  A great  gate  of  stone,  with  machico- 
lated  coping,  is  surmounted  by  a great  three-roofed  temple 
structure  of  wood  with  glazed  bronze-yellow  tiles  on  the 
roofs,  and  painted  on  the  under  sides  of  the  eaves  in  pale 
green,  white,  red,  black  and  gold,  and  with  four  supporting 


408 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


pillars  on  each  story  in  Indian  red.  On  the  connecting 
wall  at  either  end  is  a lower  two-roofed  flanking  tower. 
One  rounded  arch  pierces  the  gate,  its  edge  of  blue  glazed 
tiles.  Altogether  the  effect  is  majestic  and  has  a unity  that 
appeals,  but  the  glare  of  the  new  tiles  and  new  paint  match 
ill  with  the  old  time-worn  portions.  Time  will  soften  this. 

Passing  through  the  arch  we  reach  an  ultimate  quad- 
rangle with  a two-roofed  temple  (library)  at  the  further 
end  and  with  two-roofed  flanking  towers  at  the  corners, 
thus  making  four  corner  towers  with  the  two  supporting 
the  great  gate. 

Before  the  library  is  a stone  or  slate  marble  platform 
about  five  feet  high,  highly  carved  with  much  undercutting 
in  the  finest  Chinese  manner.  It  is  approached  from  the 
front  by  three  stone  stairs.  The  centre  has  low  wide  steps 
on  either  side  of  a slope  carved  with  the  imperial  dragons. 
Over  this  slope  the  Emperor  alone  might  pass  supported  by 
attendants  on  both  sides  walking  on  the  steps.  One  of  the 
old  slabs  on  this  slope  has  been  cleverly  replaced  by  one 
newly  cut. 

This  completes  the  parallelogram  of  the  design,  but  the 
temple  offices  through  which  we  entered  are  situated  right 
angles  to  it  on  the  side  nearest  to  Mukden.  It  was  through 
this  side  entrance  that  we  reached  the  enclosure  after 
passing  down  an  avenue  between  fine  trees.  The  hand- 
some entrance  gate  is  perhaps  the  most  satisfying  single 
structure  of  all  with  its  single  roof,  its  triple  arches  of 
entrance  and  its  large  enamelled  dragon  plaques  on  the 
walls. 

As  to  the  mental  impression  of  it  all  it  was  not  sad. 
I care  nothing  for  Manchu  emperors,  however  dead,  how- 
ever ancient.  There  is  an  attempt  to  revive,  to  rejuvenate, 
which  will  bear  fruit  in  time  and  make  a Manchu  place 
for  pilgrims  and  tourists.  There  are  several  lusty  young 
trees  in  the  quadrangle  back  of  the  tomb,  but  there  is  one 


A GLIMPSE  OF  NORTHERN  CHINA 


409 


old  pine  bent  over  and  supported  on  posts.  It  is  probably 
coeval  with  the  temple,  but  it  is  dead.  And  so  is  the 
imperial  Manchu  line. 

As  I have  told  elsewhere  at  some  length  I also  visited  the 
great  battlefield  of  Mukden  and  so  passed  down  to  Liao- 
yang  and  Port  Arthur,  but  many  a tale  I heard  before  I 
left  of  the  Russian  officers  in  1905  thronging  the  cafes  at 
night  and  drinking  deep  and  riotously  with  frail  ladies 
until  ungodly  hours,  while  the  Russian  soldiers  huddled 
together  out  on  the  great  plain  in  the  bitter  cold  awaiting 
the  coming  up  of  the  Japanese  armies.  And  then  of  mad 
scenes  of  riot  and  debauchery  when  the  rout  began  as 
Kuropatkin  gave  the  final  order  to  retreat.  Also  they 
showed  the  Catholic  cathedral  which  the  Chinese  Boxers  in 
1900  cannonaded,  killing  a Monsignor,  some  nuns  and  two 
hundred  native  Christians.  Oh,  Mukden  is  a lively  place 
even  yet. 

On  my  second  visit  I merely  halted  in  the  town  on  my 
way  from  Port  Arthur  to  Peking,  leaving  behind  the 
splendid  trains  of  the  South  Manchurian  line,  and  taking 
the  less  comfortable  line  to  Peking.  It  was  characteristic 
of  the  modern  leaping  of  great  distance  to  learn  that  our 
train  for  which  we  were  ready  to  start  on  schedule  time — 
1.30  A.M. — only  crawled  in  at  eight-thirty,  due  to  “a  wash- 
out at  Irkutsk”  on  the  Trans-Siberian  Railroad,  twelve 
hundred  miles  off  in  a straight  line,  and  Lord  knows  how 
many  more  by  rail. 

The  run  from  Mukden  to  Peking  is  five  hundred  and 
twenty-one  miles,  and  consumed  nineteen  weary  hours.  It 
was  a train  de  luxe  but  not  very  luxurious.  Still  the  road- 
bed was  fairly  good  and  the  spaces  generous.  It  was  not 
crowded.  I chatted  with  a tall  brawny  Scotch  civil 
engineer  attached  to  the  line,  who  had  filled  his  post  for 
two  years,  and  was  still  grimly  cheerful.  He  amused  him- 
self, he  said,  studying  the  ways  of  the  people,  and  had  much 


410 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


quaint  information  there  anent.  Their  superstitions  ap- 
pealed to  his  sense  of  dry  humour.  Recalling  my  visit  to 
the  Manchu  tombs,  I spoke  of  the  great  tortoise  monument. 

“Now,”  said  he,  “be  verra  careful  in  talking  to  a Chinese 
how  you  talk  about  the  tortoise : above  a ’ never  call  him  a 
tortoise:  that’s  a mortal  offence.” 

I assured  him  I never  would  call  a Chinaman  a tortoise, 
but  asked  him  why  not  if  he  happened  to  be  as  slow  as 
one.  And  then  he  explained  that  the  tortoise  is  a very 
low-down  animal  and  lives  at  the  bottom  of  the  river  in  the 
mud,  and  “he  is  reputed  by  ornithological  comparison  to 
be  like  the  bird  we  despise  in  Scotland.”  By  which  he 
meant,  I suppose,  the  cuckoo. 

The  flat  country  was  well  cultivated  through  which  we 
were  passing  in  the  morning  hours.  In  places  the  paral- 
leling of  the  furrows  was  remarkable,  the  lines  running  off 
straight  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see  or  else  all  taking  con- 
tinuous curves  as  if  made  by  a giant  rake  that  streaked 
the  whole  countryside  at  a stroke.  After  the  small  carpet- 
size  farms  of  Japan,  I supposed  that  this  great  husbandry, 
as  in  our  own  Western  wheat  country,  denoted  large 
owners.  My  Scotch  acquaintance  said  no:  the  land  was 
parcelled  out  in  very  small  tracts  with  individual  owners. 
“You  see,”  he  said,  “it’s  canny:  they  waste  nothing  on 
fences;  but  how  they  identify  their  own  patches  passes 
me.”  When  the  train  stopped  at  stations  I noted  armed 
Chinese  guards  patrolling  one  part  of  the  platform  and 
Japanese  soldiers  another  section — signs  of  something  like 
strained  relations,  growing  out  of  the  years  of  war. 
Nothing  untoward  happened.  Toward  evening  nearing 
Shan-hai-kwan  we  got  a glimpse  of  that  stupendous 
futility,  the  Great  Wall  of  China,  not  far  from  its  start 
near  the  sea  running  on  over  the  landscape  witn  its  turrets 
at  intervals,  and  its  nakedness  of  human  use  for  many 
hundred  miles.  Presently  the  train  passed  through  it  in 


A GLIMPSE  OF  NORTHERN  CHINA 


411 


an  open  cutting,  looking  raw  and  gashlike.  It  was  seen, 
as  I gauged  it,  to  be  about  forty  feet  high,  the  centre  of 
red  earth  about  thirty  feet  thick  and  faced  on  each  side 
with  a double  course  of  bricks.  Soon  after  came  the  night 
and  we  reached  Peking  at  4 a.m.,  going  -with  our  baggage, 
amid  a babel  of  chattering  porters,  a dozen  at  least,  to  our 
rooms  in  the  Hotel  des  Wagons  Lits  near  the  station.  As 
soon  as  the  loquacious,  ill-smelling  fellows  could  be  bodily 
pushed  out,  sleep  was  sought  and  easily  found. 

It  was  closing  June  and  very  hot  in  Peking.  The  hotel 
with  the  curious  name  proved  of  immediate  interest  when 
morning  after  a solid  sleep  revealed  it.  It  was  not  the 
tourist  season  but  yet  there  were  tourists  and  others, — the 
“swarm.”  The  Sleeping  Coach  Hotel  proved  to  be  the 
landing  stage  of  everybody  foreign  who  comes  to  the  capital 
of  China,  that  is.  any  one  with  pretension  to  style  or  im- 
portance of  object.  There  are  other  “foreign”  hotels  of 
inferior  type,  but  the  drop  is  great.  There  are  many 
Chinese  hotels  and  caravansaries  but  these  are  nearly  im- 
possible to  the  outlander.  And  yet  in  a sanitary  way  the 
Wagons  Lits  was  in  the  class  of  seventy  years  ago.  There 
is  a fine  dining  room  and  good  food,  and  fair  service,  and 
rates  are  not  too  high  for  the  best  in  a great  capital. 

That  greatness,  no  matter  how  marred  and  maimed,  is 
what  first  forces  itself  upon  you.  Somehow  you  feel  the 
vastness  of  China  in  the  sense  of  vastness  about  you. 
Vastness  of  the  present  going  back  to  vastness  B.C.  assails 
you  and  confronts  you  at  every  turn.  You  have  seen  great 
Asian  palaces  and  palace  compounds : here  are  the  greatest. 
You  have  stood  upon  the  walls  of  towns  and  cities:  here  are 
the  greatest,  the  longest  of  circuit,  the  highest,  the  thickest. 
You  have  passed  under  monumental  fortress  gates  and 
towered  palace  portals : here  are  the  most  imposing. 
Temples?  Some  in  their  full  glory  of  architecture  in 
marble  and  stone  with  unbroken  histories  of  a thousand 


412 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


years,  some  fully  manned  with  priests  of  their  old  beliefs — 
Confucian,  Buddhist,  Taoist — and  some  in  majestic  decay 
or  ruin,  with  the  life  of  the  present  passing,  crowding, 
squirming  even  in  its  denseness  around  them — Baalbec  and 
Rome  in  one.  In  every  direction  Peking  spreads  out 
around  you.  Mount  one  of  the  walls  and  the  city  seems 
swallowed  up  in  greenery.  Far  as  you  can  see  it  is  trees 
and  trees.  Then  the  “cities”  come  out.  You  trace  busy 
streets  in  long  lines  swarming  with  people  with  groves 
of  trees  between — nothing  like  the  banked  and  ranked 
wilderness  of  houses  that  we  call  a city.  You  are  told 
that  is  the  Chinese  city  at  your  feet.  Over  there  is  the 
Tartar  city  where  the  Manchus  swarm  and  ululate. 
That  vast  walled  stretch  with  rising  roofs  and  glimpses  of 
frond-bordered  water  pools  is  the  Imperial  City.  In  an- 
other direction  they  point  to  the  Legation  quarter  behind 
its  walls.  Walls  and  gates,  streets  and  groves,  temple  tops 
and  compounds,  it  spreads  over  the  plain  endlessly  it  seems. 
And  the  eminences  you  are  told  have  been  piled  up  by 
the  labour  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  human  ants  hollow- 
ing out  the  basins  for  the  lakes  created  to  make  a charm 
of  the  eye  for  the  emperors  of  such  and  such  a dynasty. 
No  art  enterprise  in  the  world  is  on  a par  with  this  stu- 
pendous, if  simply  conceived,  outreach  for  the  beautiful. 
Pass  out  for  a morning  drive  to  the  Summer  Palace  through 
the  dirty,  dusty  streets  and  a dense  population  living  from 
hand  to  mouth,  and  see  for  yourself  this  magnificence  of 
design  and  its  actual  accomplishment. 

“Son  of  Heaven,  Brother  to  the  Moon,  Emperor  of  the 
Earth,  your  intolerably  glowing  and  high-shining  Majesty 
would  surely  love  the  view  here  if  you  saw  it  from  a 
great  height  overlooking  wide  water-spaces  dotted  with 
green  islands  and  with  bridges  and  monuments  in  marble. 
Your  distinguished  relative  who  made  the  world  furnished 
a distant  hill  background,  and  I,  your  slave,  backed  by  the 


1.  THK  UKEAT  WALL  OF  CHINA 

2.  A STREF,T  IN  MUKDEN 


1.  GATE  TO  COURTYARD,  NORTH  MAUSOLEUM  OF  THE  MAX- 

CHU  EMPERORS,  MUKDEX 

2.  THE  CHIXESE  CART  THAT  YOU  MEET  OX  MAXCHURIAX 

ROADS;  SOMETIMES  AX  OX  IS  ADDED  TO  THE  BEASTS 


A GLIMPSE  OF  NORTHERN  CHINA  413 

picks  and  shovels  and  hand-barrows  of  say  half  a million 
other  slaves,  will  do  the  rest.” 

So  spoke  a Chinese  engineer  of  long  ago  to  an  Emperor 
whose  careless  self-indulgence  had  no  bounds,  and  lo,  the 
thing  was  done.  And  all  over  Peking  it  seems  the  same,  a 
sense  of  the  mighty,  the  massive,  the  beautiful  in  neglect 
and  decay  amid  the  turbid  currents  of  a people  of  picayune 
aims  and  sordid  lives.  The  majesty  of  marble  and  carven 
stone,  of  mound  and  pool  is  the  majesty  of  an  empire  that 
is  dead  leaving  its  insignia  behind,  hopelessly  out  of  date 
nine-tenths  of  it,  of  no  use  to  its  successors,  but  a witness 
to  and  a reminder  of  the  might  and  weight  of  a country 
and  a people  that  some  day  must  return  under  utterly 
changed  conditions  to  its  place  of  strength  and  win  back 
the  respect  of  the  world.  Hopeless  it  looks  now,  but  even 
in  the  inchoate  republic  the  slow  leaven  of  progress  is 
working,  amid  an  officialdom  that  counts  “graft”  and 
“squeeze”  among  its  most  prized  assets. 

Peking  is  attractive  to  the  eye,  bating  the  squalor  that 
rubs  elbows  with  its  richness.  One  learns  by  shopping  in  a 
city  new  to  one ’s  experience  as  much  as  by  deliberate  sight- 
seeing. There  are,  as  all  through  Asia,  many  shops  where 
the  unattractive  outside  is  small  guide  to  the  magnificence, 
the  fineness  of  the  wares  within — silks,  brocades,  rugs  of 
wonderful  weave,  pottery,  cloisonne,  antiques,  jewels,  what 
not.  You  must  haggle  everywhere,  for  the  ethics  of  busi- 
ness do  not  include  much  regard  for  the  truth  of  a war- 
ranty, or  a nice  approximation  of  asked  price  and  actual 
value.  Tenfold  must  the  buyer  beware.  An  American 
lady  whose  specialty  was  the  collecting  of  Chinese  snuff 
boxes,  and  who  had  nearly  a hundred  of  them — she  had 
no  children,  and  snuff  boxes  served  for  a defence  against 
boredom  as  well  as  any  other  collectible  commodity — told 
me  in  exhibiting  them  that  the  first  she  had  bought  were 
the  poorest  and  the  dearest,  but  that  she  was  averaging 


414 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


fairly,  and  she  enjoyed  it  to  the  uttermost.  Many  streets 
with  signs  of  striking  banners,  exposed  shop  fronts  and 
crowded  walks  were  picturesque  to  a degree.  From  the 
many  eating  houses  cooking  odours  filled  the  air,  which, 
mixing  with  the  incense  smoke  of  Joss  sticks  made  a com- 
posite of  smell  familiar  to  American  nostrils  in  the  Chinese 
quarter  of  many  far  Western  towns. 

The  little  Manchurian  carts  like  packing  boxes  on  two 
great  wheels,  the  horsemen,  the  occasional  automobile,  the 
drays  and  trucks  gave  motion  to  the  middle  of  the  street, 
and  the  sauntering  pedestrian  crowd  made  mostly  on  the 
sidewalks.  Mud  or  dust  signified  rain  or  sun : just  now  it 
was  all  dust. 

Restaurants  abound  for  all  classes,  from  rich  ones  where 
Chinese  dainties  such  as  birds’  nest  soup,  lily  bulbs,  man- 
darin duck  of  a succulency,  bamboo  shoots  and  jelly-like 
sharks’  fins  are  food  for  the  gods,  down  to  the  homes  of 
bean  soup  and  boiled  rice  of  the  humbler  toilers.  There 
are  theatres  and  cinematographs.  The  Chinese  have  taken 
obviously  to  the  movies  and  enjoy  them  in  a charmed 
silence. 

Nowhere  are  the  business  streets  busier  than  in  Peking, 
and  nowhere  are  the  residence  streets  more  secluded,  even 
forbidding.  Every  one  above  poverty  or  the  step  above  it 
lives  behind  walls.  You  may  pass  through  street  after 
street  without  seeing  a soul.  High  walls  are  on  each  side 
and  here  and  there  a closed  door.  If  the  doors  are  opened 
you  see  another  wall  within  a few  feet  of  it, — the  spirit 
wall.  It  is  a short  high  wall  standing  alone.  There  is 
more  or  less  of  a court  behind  it,  and  then  the  house  or 
houses,  generally  one  story  and  oftenest  of  stone  tiled  in 
various  colours.  No  doubt  the  little  wall  tells  of  the  time 
when  lurking  enemies  might  be  expected  to  make  a dash 
upon  the  little  fortress,  and  the  wall  would  stop  them,  and 
give  the  defenders  a chance  to  keep  the  assailants  out : but 


A GLIMPSE  OF  NORTHERN  CHINA 


415 


that  use  which  must  have  proved  unnecessary  many  hun- 
dreds of  years  ago  did  not  prevent  the  builders,  following 
with  Chinese  conservatism,  from  continuing  to  build  them, 
so  a new  legend  grew,  interesting  as  the  American  practice 
of  “knocking  wood,”  where  of  old  one  would  say,  “The 
Lord  be  thanked.”  A material  age  will  make  its  own 
superstitions.  The  Chinese  legend  is  “The  wall  keeps  out 
the  evil  spirits.  They  come  feeling  along  the  street  wall 
looking  for  a house.  They  find  an  open  door,  and  say,  ‘Ha ! 
here  is  one.  ’ They  go  in,  and  they  find  another  wall : they 
stop  and  say,  ‘ Here  is  no  house,  ’ and  they  turn  back  and  go 
out  again.”  Simple  of  them,  certainly:  but  the  belief  in 
it  is  general.  A man  I knew,  an  American,  rented  or 
bought  a new  house  on  this  model  and  among  the  altera- 
tions he  resolved  on,  the  first  was  to  take  down  this  spirit 
wall,  so  that  he  could  run  his  automobile  into  the  court- 
yard. Asked  to  take  it  down,  the  mason  builder  shook  his 
head, — the  American  man  must  do  it  himself.  I saw  the 
other  alterations  going  on,  but  up  to  the  date  of  my  leaving 
Peking  the  search  for  an  unsuperstitious  demolliseur  had 
not  succeeded.  The  Chinese  are  probably  the  most  super- 
stitious people  in  the  world ; they  have  been  accumulating 
their  examples  of  lucky  and  unlucky  so  long. 

I went  out  the  first  day  in  Peking  to  see  the  Altar  of 
Heaven.  Yuan  shih  Kai  was  ruling  with  an  iron  hand  in 
the  palace  of  the  old  Empress  Dowager  who  used  to  make 
him  crawl  on  his  stomach  before  her  in  the  early  days  of 
his  appearance  as  her  adviser;  his  cabinet  ministers  and 
secretaries  were  ruling  in  his  name  from  palaces  and  offices 
sacred  in  other  days,  not  a decade  ago,  to  the  functionaries 
of  the  Empire.  Yuan’s  police  were  ruling  the  streets  of 
the  capital,  and  a boy  under  ten,  who  would  be  a real 
emperor  in  other  times,  was  playing  phantom  emperor  in 
one  of  his  ancestor’s  palaces  amid  lakelets  and  gardens 
behind  yellow-tiled  walls  which  he  could  not  pass — a 


416 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


pathetic,  ironic  little  empire  surely  with  Yuan  holding 
the  key  to  the  locked  gate  of  the  palace.  Incidentally,  Li 
Yuan  Hung,  Yuan’s  vice  president,  equally  elect  with  him- 
self, was  making  what  he  could  of  life  in  another  palace  of 
the  Red  City,  virtually  a prisoner  of  Yuan’s,  for  although 
the  gate  was  open,  he  never  dared  go  out.  He  had  been 
told  the  open  air  was  unhealthful  for  him,  and  he  needed 
no  sage  or  fortune-teller  to  tell  him  what  that  meant.  Up 
on  the  wall  of  the  Legation  quarter  United  States  marines 
were  doing  their  sentry-go,  a practice  harking  back  to  the 
Boxer  rebellion  when  the  amiable  Heathen  Chinee  so  lusted 
after  the  blood  of  Europeans  that  they  set  it  flowing  wher- 
ever they  saw  a chance. 

Across  from  the  hotel  steps  stretched  a string  of  ricki- 
shas,  a hundred  of  the  “boys”  shouting  together  whenever 
a possible  customer  appeared.  Bright,  nimble,  athletic- 
looking,  these  boys  in  their  early  twenties,  and  they  do  carry 
you  along  at  a clip,  racing  and  laughing  for  the  very  joy 
of  living.  We  are  off  out  through  the  great  gate.  We 
take  a turn  under  the  Baron  Ketteler  monument — a sort  of 
gate  across  the  street  inscribed  to  the  memory  of  the 
German  diplomat  whom  the  Boxers  butchered,  the  in- 
scribed tablet  setting  forth  the  facts  and  recording  the 
regret  of  the  Chinese  government.  Its  erection  satisfied 
the  German  Kaiser,  but  it  had  been  made  to  satisfy  the 
Chinese  lower  classes  by  telling  them  that  it  had  really 
been  put  up  in  memory  of  the  Boxers  who  had  done  the 
deed.  Down  to  the  south  of  the  Chinese  city  we  trundled 
merrily  in  the  sunshine  of  the  afternoon,  stopping  at  a gate 
in  a long  wall  along  a ragged  stretch  of  forlorn  dusty  road. 
We  dismounted,  and  showing  our  credentials  the  door 
opened  just  wide  enough  to  let  us  in  one  by  one.  There 
was  evident  hesitation  about  letting  us  go  further,  but  an 
old  Chinese  evidently  kept  for  the  purpose  made  that 
gesture  which  rubs  the  thumb  over  the  tip  of  the  forefinger 


A GLIMPSE  OF  NORTHERN  CHINA 


417 


and  signifies  “give  backsheesh”  all  over  the  East.  I 
replied  with  a silver  coin  of  dime  size,  and  the  proud 
official  bowed  and  I passed  on.  We  were  in  a large  court 
of  the  temple  compound  with  beautiful  old  trees — acacias, 
cypress,  pine — on  either  side  of  a central  path.  It  was  a 
hot  walk,  but  the  wrinkled,  yellow  old  guardian  who  accom- 
panied us  seemed  to  enjoy  an  eternal  calm.  Presently  we 
reached  another  wall,  the  gate  opening  a few  inches  at  our 
approach  with  a long  skinny  hand  and  lean  arm  thrust 
out  receptively — another  dime.  Court  after  court  was  this 
walk  and  dime  ceremony  repeated  until  at  last  we  stood 
in  the  open  space  before  the  wide  enclosure  of  the  wonder- 
ful circular  Altar  of  Heaven,  ornately  carved  of  white 
marble  rising  in  three  tiers  from  the  ground.  It  is  beau- 
tiful to  an  inspiring  degree,  and  worth  a journey  from  the 
ends  of  the  earth.  Here  came  the  Emperor  to  worship  the 
Shang-ti  or  overlord  of  the  heavens,  the  only  deity  the 
pampered  Chinese  mortal  on  the  imperial  throne  was  sup- 
posed to  look  up  to.  In  the  imperial  desolation  of  today, 
in  the  neglect  written  all  over  it,  its  beauty  and  majesty 
still  conquer  you,  and  when  you  mount  its  marble  steps  to 
the  marble  platform  and  gaze  around  you  gather  slowly 
an  idea  of  the  profound  artistry  that  conceived  it,  and  the 
skill  of  its  execution.  A little  way  off  one  sees  a similar 
marble  platform  rise,  but  crowned  with  a circular  temple 
structure  roofed  conically  with  tiles  of  a miraculous  deep 
blue — the  Temple  of  Heaven.  If  one  has  read  his  Madrolle 
guidebook  of  northern  China  with  its  copious  if  difficult 
interpretation  of  the  monuments  one  can  call  up  the  picture 
it  presented  when  the  Emperor  clothed  in  the  pontifical 
dragon  robe,  and  under  the  grand  baldaquin,  followed  by 
the  princes,  dukes  and  officials  made  procession  “in  robes 
of  many  colours”  from  the  Temple  of  Heaven  to  this 
“Platform  of  Majestic  Space,”  the  whole  enclosure  filled 
with  priests,  attendants,  musicians  and  sacrificers,  and 


418 


JAPAN  \T  FIRST  HAND 


proceeded  amid  a tide  ox  sacked  song  whose  burden  was 
peace — “Splendid  Peace,”  “Peace  and  Long  Life,”  “End- 
less Peace” — to  worship  the  Ruler  of  the  Heavens.  How 
impressive  to  the  Chinese  mind  the  bare  story  of  it  must 
have  been. 

When  a year  later  Yuan  shih  Kai  in  pursuit  of  his 
daring  dream  of  Empire  revived  the  ceremony  with  his 
chubby  self  as  the  celebrant  it  became  pretty  plain  to  an 
observing  world  which  way  he  was  heading.  Probably  he 
did  it  as  a test  of  Chinese  feeling,  for  I recalled  the  Jap- 
anese Foreign  Minister’s  exclamation  over  Yuan’s  plebeian 
family  ancestry  as  a bar  to  imperial  aspirations  in  a 
country  of  caste  like  China.  Partly  too,  no  doubt,  Yuan 
harked  back  affectionately  to  the  olden  Chinese  customs 
and  rituals.  He  was  never  more  than  half-converted  to 
the  “Western”  idea  of  progress  which  had  fascinated 
Japan  to  such  purpose.  That  was  evident  to  me  at  the 
time  of  my  brief  visit. 

Among  the  “sights”  which  stand  out,  and  there  were 
many  crowded  between  days  of  work  and  days  of  disable- 
ment by  the  numerous  indispositions  whose  germs  float  into 
one’s  being  on  the  Peking  summer-dust,  three  or  four  stand 
out  as  memorable.  One  was  the  Temple  of  Confucius, 
the  most  satisfying  to  me  of  the  Chinese  religious  struc- 
tures. The  purity  and  symmetry  of  its  architecture,  the 
green  loveliness  of  its  setting,  the  old,  old  cypress  trees,  the 
sense  of  the  endiiring  in  the  beliefs  it  stood  for,  its  many 
ancient  lordly  tombs,  stele  and  monuments,  and  an  old  and 
worn  black  marble  slab  in  its  courtyard  inscribed  as 
covering  the  remains  of  Kublai  Khan  laid  there  over  six 
hundred  years  ago.  Here  was  something  tangible  that 
connected  with  my  old  friend,  Marco  Polo,  whose  wonder 
story  of  his  travels  and  experiences  the  Western  wiseacres 
of  centuries  were  prone  to  doubt.  The  ruler  who  founded 
Peking  as  the  capital  in  the  thirteenth  century,  who 


A GLIMPSE  OF  NORTHERN  CHINA 


419 


rounded  out  the  conquest  of  China,  was  suzerain  of  Persia 
whose  sway  reached  westward  over  Asia,  over  mid-Russia 
and  up  to  the  borders  of  Poland.  And  here  was  the  West 
setting  up  a republic  in  the  very  nesting-place  of  Kublai 
with  Yuan  shih  Kai  as  its  protagonist ! 

Another  trip  was  to  the  great  Lamasery,  a Buddhist 
monastery  on  the  boi’ders  of  Peking.  The  uncomfortable 
itchy  feeling  that  developed  while  viewing  its  temples  and 
shrines  and  bronze  and  wooden  Buddhas  always  comes  back 
when  I think  of  it.  Our  guide  was  a monk  innocent  of 
English,  an  ill-favoured  and  dirty-skinned,  undersized 
brown  person  in  a dark  robe.  He  snuffled  and  perspired 
appealingly  as  we  went  from  shrine  to  shrine  and  paid  a 
few  cents  each  time  for  incense-sticks  to  burn  before  the 
statue  seated  so  contentedly  above  the  gimcrack  decorations 
of  his  altars.  There  were  over  one  thousand  of  these  monks 
harboured  there,  and  some  hundreds  of  boys  whom  the 
rickisha  boy  with  a smattering  of  pigeon-English  called 
“little  lamas.”  Their  coming  and  going  were  interesting 
to  me.  I had  known  monks  and  monasteries  in  the  West, 
but  those  who  were  the  children  of  the  church  of  Rome 
never  made  the  painful  impression  of  those  who  there 
looked  up  to  the  Grand  Lama  of  Tibet.  It  was  interesting 
to  learn  that  their  vestments  on  days  of  sacred  service  were 
so  like  those  of  the  “Western”  churches — Roman  and 
Russian — and  that,  however  the  tenets  of  belief  differed, 
their,  rituals  had  strong  resemblances.  An  official  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  told  me  unpleasant  stories  of  these  lamas,  but 
one  cannot  repeat  them.  Zealots  of  one  religion  are  not 
the  safest  guides  in  criticism  of  the  members  or  beliefs 
of  others.  That  my  guide  was  an  uninspired-looking  and 
not  personally  clean  person  was  not  wholly  to  the  discredit 
of  his  religion.  He  had  little  to  show  for  his  lifelong 
devotion,  if  he  was  devout.  Certainly  the  cell  which  he 
took  me  through  a dormitory  building  to  see  was  a poor 


420 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


enough  abode,  with  its  two  hard  pallets — they  sleep  two  in 
a cell.  It  was  uninviting  and  stuffy  enough  to  house  a 
saint.  He  did  not  look  like  the  latter  however. 

The  Summer  Palace  was  a dream.  Three  centuries  ago 
it  had  been  turned  from  dream  to  reality,  and  in  its  up- 
building the  art  skill  of  the  Jesuit  fathers  then  in  favour 
at  the  court  had  sway  to  great  purpose.  Their  knowledge 
of  hydraulics  no  less  than  of  light  architecture  was  respon- 
sible for  much  of  it.  The  run  out  by  automobile  Avas 
pleasant  in  the  early  morning.  The  road  is  not  bad,  for 
it  was  the  route  by  which  the  court  traffic  went  and  came 
when  the  Court  was  summering,  and  its  six  miles  outside 
the  city  were  negotiated  without  a stop,  though  with  a 
few  bumps.  Well  I recall  the  sensation  of  1860  when  the 
news  came  that  after  the  bombarding  of  the  Pei  Ho  forts, 
the  combined  French  and  English  forces  had  marched  upon 
Peking,  and  seized,  occupied,  looted  utterly  and  then 
burned  the  Summer  Palace,  the  Emperor  barely  escaping 
in  the  night  of  the  surprise  attack.  The  Summer  Palace, 
conveyed  to  my  young  mind,  I fear,  nothing  more  than 
the  idea  of  a building  like  Buckingham  palace,  or  the 
Tuileries,  but  here  had  been  a thing  unique  in  palaces,  a 
series  of  light,  beautiful,  ornate  dwellings  Avith  pavilions 
innumerable  crowning  and  dotting  at  every  turn  a long 
artificial  wooded  hill  overlooking  a beautiful  Avide-spread- 
ing  artificial  lake  paradisiac  almost  in  its  beauty  of  nature 
and  art.  Bridges  of  marble,  islands  marble-rimmed  and 
the  quaint  and  the  beautiful  in  trees  of  varied  kinds  CA^ery- 
where  along  its  borders.  The  palaces  Avere  burned,  it  seems, 
because  some  Chinese  soldiers  fired  on  a flag  of  truce,  about 
which  they  could  not  be  expected  to  know  much,  such  being 
the  nice  way  of  justice  among  soldiers  before  that  time — 
and  since.  Well  I recall  seeing  specimens  of  the  loot  in 
London,  exposed  in  shop  windows,  for  every  soldier,  rank 
and  file,  grabbed  Avhat  he  could  lay  hands  on,  knoAving  as 


A GLIMPSE  OF  NORTHERN  CHINA 


421 


much  about  its  value  as  the  Chinese  warriors,  some  of 
whom  had  bows  and  arrows  and  terrible  masks,  did  about 
the  mortal  difference  between  a white  flag  and  the  red, 
white  and  blue.  It  was  costly  stuff  you  may  rest  assured. 
Long  did  the  palace  lie  waste,  but  the  old  Dowager 
Empress  about  thirty  years  after  rebuilt  some  half  of  the 
structures  on  the  palace  mound  and  restored  much  of  its 
beauty.  The  Court  resumed  its  summering  and  the  road 
to  town  was  bright  once  more  with  equipages  and  digni- 
taries, uniforms  and  robes,  until  there  ceased  to  be  any 
Court.  Since  then  a few  cormorant  caretakers,  probably 
paid  in  the  backsheesh  they  exact  from  visitors,  are  the 
lone  inhabitants.  There  are  fixed  charges  for  breathing 
the  air  as  well  as  being  rowed  about  the  lake  on  sampans. 
One  amusing  trick  was  to  row  you  to  an  island  for  so  much, 
land  you  and  leave  you  there,  charging  a fresh  fee  for 
being  coaxed  back  to  take  you  off.  Another  was  for  tea 
which  a placard  announced  would  be  served  for  so  much 
on  the  Marble  Boat — a conventionalized  replica  in  stone  of 
a paddle  steamer  erected  by  some  crazy  emperor  a few  feet 
from  one  of  the  banks.  On  the  tea  being  duly  swallowed 
the  charge  was  doubled  on  the  score  that  it  was  served  on 
the  upper  deck  some  eight  feet  above  the  placard.  And 
they  would  not  accept  payment  in  small  silver — nothing 
but  dollars,  for  in  some  way  or  other  it  gave  them  ten  or 
fifteen  cents  additional.  Our  self-attached  guide  who  only 
spoke  Chinese,  but  who  supplied  a whole  world  of  comic 
pantomine  accompanied  by  a flow  of  language  was,  I may 
say,  cheap  at  two  dollars  mex.  It  was  certainly  a won- 
derful morning. 

Lastly  a visit  to  the  Forbidden  City.  Our  Minister  had 
gone  on  a vacation  to  Switzerland,  and  the  young  Charge 
d ’Affaires,  Mr.  H.  A.  V.  McMurray,  had  failed  to  procure 
for  me  even  a glimpse  of  Yuan  shih  Kai,  not  to  speak  of 
an  interview.  It  was  mainly,  I think,  because  between 


422 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


Minister  Paul  Eeinsch’s  departure  and  my  sequestration  at 
the  hotel  for  three  days,  my  application  had  been  lost  sight 
of,  and  my  arrangements  did  not  permit  my  remaining  the 
eight  or  ten  days  necessary  for  traversing  the  red  tape 
of  the  Chinese  Foreign  Office  with  a new  application.  So 
the  amiable  young  diplomat  in  his  most  charming  manner 
said : “ I have  admissions  for  a party  to  the  Forbidden  City 
on  Monday  afternoon,  why  not  come  along?  I have  not 
seen  it  myself.”  So,  in  the  cheerful  spirit  of  that  office- 
seeker  who  asked  a cabinet  secretaryship  of  President 
Jackson  and  finally  accepted  an  old  coat,  I went.  Such 
permits  were  very  rare,  and  were  mostly  sought  in  vain. 

The  Forbidden  or  Red  City  lies  in  the  heart  of  Peking, 
in  the  heart,  indeed,  of  the  Imperial  City.  We  rode  thither 
in  rickishas  and  were  halted  by  a sentry  before  a lofty  gate. 
We  were  evidently  expected,  for  the  barest  brandishing  of 
pasteboard  resulted  in  our  passing  through  the  low  arch 
of  entrance  into  a bare  open  court  of  great  extent  with 
still  another  gate  and  low  arch  beyond.  There  we  left 
our  rickishas  and  two  Manchu  officers  with  an  armed  guard 
of  ten  soldiers  received  us  with  every  show  of  courteous 
but  reserved  welcome.  They  were,  the  higher  officer  said, 
to  be  our  escort:  to  see  that  we  came  to  no  harm,  and  he 
bowed  with  dignity.  It  was  something  in  Yuan’s  favour 
that  he  kept  a guard  of  Manehus  for  the  Forbidden  City, 
in  part  of  which  the  deposed  boy  emperor  lived  amid  a 
phantom  court,  knowing  perhaps  that  a Chinese  guard 
would  make  short  work  of  the  boy  and  any  who  upheld 
him,  as  they  had  slaughtered  in  cold  blood  some  twenty- 
four  thousand  of  the  Manchu  inhabitants  of  the  Tartar 
city  when  the  republic  was  proclaimed — a horribly  cruel 
hattue  of  unarmed  men,  women  and  children.  And  close 
as  wax  the  Manchu  officer  and  his  men  stuck  to  us  wherever 
we  went. 

We  were  in  the  holy  of  holies,  as  it  were,  of  the  newly 


A GLIMPSE  OF  NORTHERN  CHINA 


423 


perished  empire,  and  as  we  entered  the  first  vast  quad- 
rangle the  sense  of  weight  of  the  long,  great  past  of  which 
I have  spoken  descended  on  us.  For  in  the  walled  enclo- 
sures behind  and  beyond  this  immense  empty  space  had 
lived  long  lines  of  these  emperors  from  the  time  of  the 
Ming.  Here  was  the  space  we  were  told  where  in  thou- 
sands the  princes,  mandarins,  governors  and  officials  came 
to  pay  their  New  Year  calls,  barely  to  glimpse  the  Emperor ; 
where  new  honours  were  awarded,  and  cunningly  belated 
punishments  were  often  meted  out  to  men  who  came  from 
remote  provinces.  The  procedure  was  said  to  be  simple. 
A mandarin,  say,  in  secret  disfavour  entered  and  took  his 
place.  He  was  called  on  by  an  official  to  follow  him. 
Conducted  through  the  sombre  No.  5 gate,  a soldier  cut  off 
his  head  as  soon  as  he  stepped  outside.  The  city  is  not 
called  red  on  that  account,  nor  for  any  prevailing  tint  in 
tiles  or  structures,  but  because  the  word  or  something  like 
it  is  used  to  describe  the  pole-star:  this  red  city  is  the 
pole-star,  the  fixed  shining  pivot  around  which  everjdhing 
in  the  Empire  revolves — no  vulgar  blood  in  it. 

We  pass  through  the  imposing  Exposition  Gate,  and  over 
a wonder  of  carved  marble  balustrades  and  high  marble 
steps  rises  the  lofty  HaU  of  Audience  across  the  intervening 
square.  The  marbles  match  the  delicate  work  of  the  Altar 
of  Heaven.  Still  empty  of  life  is  it  all.  Before  the  build- 
ing stand  massive  gilt  incense  burners.  We  climb  the  steps 
followed  silently  by  the  guard.  A tall  door  swings  open 
and  we  enter  the  great  Audience  Hall  of  the  Dragon 
Throne.  Great  columns  of  lacquered  wood  support  the 
lofty  roof,  and  our  footsteps  echo  on  the  marble  pavement 
as  in  the  dim  light  we  approach  the  empty  throne.  It  is 
of  ebony  or  ebonized  teak  wood  carved  with  ornate  lattice 
work.  The  steps  leading  up  to  it  on  the  front  and  on 
either  side  are  double  and  peculiarly  bowed.  One  of  us, 
not  I,  slipped  up  the  steps  and  sat  on  the  central  seat 


424 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


when  the  discreet  officers  were  not  looking.  Somehow  the 
moment  was  not  one  of  deep  impressions.  Mr.  McMurray 
pretended  not  to  see,  perhaps  he  did  not ; as  for  me  I turned 
away  to  examine  the  great  pillars.  The  phantom  of  the 
vanished  dynasties  in  their  moment  of  highest  estate  and 
imperial  pride  there  regnant  amid  all  their  pomp  of  silk 
and  jade  and  gold  and  power  over  the  destinies  of  hun- 
dreds of  millions  only  came  for  an  instant  to  me  as  I 
turned  back  for  a while  in  passing  out  through  the 
door.  The  Charge  d ’Affaires  was  doing  what  he  could 
with  a kodak,  and  was  not  doing  badly  as  it  turned  out, 
considering  the  growing  dusk  of  the  grey  afternoon.  We 
passed  to  a square  beyond,  where  stands  the  House  of 
Prayer  again  fronted  with  the  carven  white  marble  steps 
to  a marble  platform.  We  did  not  enter.  Again  we  found 
a great  quadrangle  beyond  and  on  its  further  side  the 
stately  House  of  Study  with  a colonnade.  There  the 
Emperor  was  supposed  to  come  at  intervals  and  study  the 
sacred  books.  A great  waU  stood  back  of  this  building, 
and  behind  it  the  palace  of  residence  of  the  Emperor,  now 
the  home  of  a boy  who  will  never  reign.  And  that  was  all. 

One  cannot  go  through  this  great  widespread  city  of  a 
million  souls,  stand  upon  its  ancient  massive  walls,  pass 
under  and  through  its  monumental  gates,  enter  its  hoary, 
decaying  temples,  sumptuous  in  decay;  walk  through  vast 
areas  of  its  palaces,  its  audience  halls,  its  broad  marble- 
paved  courts  with  the  grass  upgrowing,  its  expanses  of 
neglected  gardens  without  feeling  the  crushing  pressure  of 
something  mighty,  something  old  and  outworn,  something 
great — and  dead.  You  are  on  the  ashes  of  an  empire  amid 
a living  people. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 


PEKING  IN  THE  HEYDEY  OF  YUAN 

Why  the  President  kept  to  his  palace — A virtually  imprisoned 
Vice  President  and  an  immured  boy-emperor — Dr.  Goodnow 
and  the  autocratic  Constitution — The  “swarm” — Hotel  a nest 
of  international  intrigue — Minister  Reinsch — Some  Chinese 
portraits,  the  cheerful  Admiral  Tsai  Ting  Kan  and  the  sad 
Finance  Minister — Yuan  shih  Kai  at  close  range. 

“Men  shoot.” 

I had  asked  my  riekisha  boy  who  spoke  some  English  as 
we  skirted  the  Winter  Palace  on  our  way  to  see  the  marble 
bridge,  why  President  Yuan  shih  Kai  did  not  show  himself 
in  public.  It  w'as  an  ominous  answer.  They  had  at- 
tempted to  assassinate  him  some  months  before,  and  he 
was  not  anxious  to  give  his  enemies  another  chance.  But 
who  w’ere  the  enemies  from  whom  he  must  keep  close  behind 
guarded  gates:  how  many:  for  what  did  they  stand? 

Answers  were  difficult  to  get  in  Peking  then,  but  since 
then  the  questions  may  be  answered.  It  can  be  put  into  a 
single  word — idealists.  Nothing  seemed  farther  from  the 
answer  then.  Many  whom  I questioned  upon  the  probable 
make-up  of  a revolutionary  or  reactionary  party  seemed 
indisposed  to  answer,  a caution  common  to  countries  auto- 
cratically ruled,  but  to  me  it  seemed  then  that  it  was  a 
wide  discontent  with  the  man  who  had  betraj^ed  the  revo- 
lution, and  that  it  must  run  pretty  wide  and  deep  to  keep 
the  head  of  a government  growing  stronger  every  day  from 
being  seen  in  a carriage  or  afoot  outside  his  palace 
walls. 


426 


426 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


I had  learned  in  Mukden  that  they  did  not  love  a gov- 
ernment which  had  dethroned  the  Manchu  dynasty,  had 
taken  from  the  Manchus  their  primacy  among  the  Empire’s 
races,  and  had,  for  sign,  allowed  every  Chinaman  to 
cut  off  his  queue — which  the  ilanchu  emperors  had  im- 
posed on  him.  Yuan,  indeed,  made  claim  upon  their 
sympathies  by  keeping  Hsuan  Tung,  the  boy-emperor, 
alive  with  Manchu  guards  about  him,  and  directing 
the  repair  and  re-embellishment  of  the  imperial  palace 
at  ]\Iukden  and  the  Pei-ling  tombs ; but  he  had  solemnly 
abandoned  the  Empire,  and  klanchuria  was  peevish 
about  it.  It  was  seen  in  the  swagger  of  the  ]\Ianchus  of 
Mukden. 

With  the  southern  provinces  it  was  different.  There  the 
Chinese  brand  of  republicanism  was  born.  Young  Chinese 
who  had  been  educated  in  America  or  Europe  had  brought 
back  new  ideals  of  government.  In  our  colleges  and  marts, 
in  our  OAvn  Chinatowns,  the  woidd’s  opinion  of  the  back- 
wardness of  China  had  backed  up  the  observation  of  the 
Chinese  themselves  of  the  freer  world  about  them.  The 
idea  of  reforming  China  grew  apace  among  the  better  class 
of  the  Chinese  studying,  working  or  trading  in  the  United 
States.  But  the  reception  not  only  by  the  imperial  but  by 
the  local  officials  of  proposals  for  admitting  into  China  any 
“Western”  light  was  disheartening.  It  might  do  for  the 
islanders  of  little  Japan,  but  for  the  great  Empire  of 
China?  Nonsense!  People  have  forgotten  the  long 
process  of  attempt  answered  by  persecution  which  at- 
tended the  first  steps  of  the  reformers.  The  attitude  of 
the  Dowager  Empress  was  unequivocal.  Many  a reformer 
perished,  but  such  seed  does  not  die  out.  Propaganda 
becomes  conspiracy.  Armed  rebellion  succeeds  protests. 
Suddenly  politic  fellows  in  power  reading  success  in  the 
new  idea  join  forces  with  the  rebels,  and  it  is  revolution. 
When  it  was  all  over  with  the  Empire  in  1910,  and  the 


PEKING  IN  THE  HEYDEY  OF  YUAN  427 


Manehu  emperors  had  gone  in  a night  from  their  throne 
of  two  and  a half  centuries  and  all  the  other  twenty 
centuries  of  other  dynasties,  Dr.  Sun  Yat  Sen  and  his 
fellow-republicans,  having  but  a theoretic  conception  of 
republicanism — just  plain  idealism — were  in  a poor  way 
to  make  China  a republic.  They  found  that  government 
is  a business,  and  they  had  never  been  in  the  business. 

Stories  I heard  among  the  newspaper  men  in  Peking  of 
the  Sun  Yat  Sen  government  at  Nanking  were  amusing 
to  them  but  tragic  to  China.  One  story  of  a high  official 
moving  his  yamen  several  miles  out  of  the  town  to  escape 
the  importunities  of  the  thousands  of  Chinese  seeking  office 
and  the  hundreds  of  foreigners  seeking  concessions  w’as  a 
sample.  Scarcely  installed  in  his  new  quarters  the  official 
looked  out  one  morning  to  see  the  entire  road  back  to 
Nanking  lined  with  a procession  comprising  everything 
on  wheels  in  the  city,  and  he  cried  out:  “\Yould  I be  safe 
from  them  in  the  ocean?” 

The  revolution  of  1910  indeed  awakened  a new  life.  It 
created  aspirations  as  well  as  expectations,  even  in  remote 
China,  that  is,  China  remote  from  the  seaboard.  Wise- 
acres will  tell  you  (with  feeble  persistence  in  ideas  holding 
true  up  to  a dozen  years  ago),  that  the  ‘‘average  China- 
man” is  indifferent  to  progress;  cares  notliing  for  China 
as  a whole ; nothing  for  his  province ; only  asks  to  wmrk  in 
peace  and  pay  as  little  taxes  as  possible ; but  I have  many 
proofs  that  Chinese  patriotism,  certainly  an  all-China  con- 
sciousness, is  growing:  that  there  is  more  than  a glimpse 
of  the  idea  of  representative  government,  and  that  it  will 
not  be  denied;  that  the  new  lines  of  official  “graft”  and 
“squeeze” — the  Oriental  curse — are  destined  to  live  hard 
lives.  There  are  schools  now  in  China  where  there  were 
none;  there  is  some  light  where  all  was  darkness.  To  the 
soldiers  of  the  new  republic  loot  became  the  accepted  order 
of  things.  There  was  no  settling  down.  It  was  in  despera- 


428 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


tion  really  that  they  turned  to  the  wily  but  very  able  and 
strong  old  servant  of  the  Empire — Yuan  shih  Kai.  He 
took  everything  off  their  hands,  agreed  to  their  conditions, 
the  new  experimental  Parliament  and  aU:  he  became  the 
second  president,  and  gave  Sun  Yat  Sen  what  looked  like 
a profitable  job.  For  a little  while  he  put  up  with  the 
ineptness  of  the  Parliament,  and  then  drove  them  out.  A 
few  disappearances  among  the  protesting  members  made 
the  others  disapprear  voluntarily.  It  was  at  this  time  that 
he  secured  the  good  offices  of  Dr.  Goodnow  to  wi’ite  an 
essay  giving  his  opinion  that  China  was  not  prepared  for 
self-government.  It  was  measurably  true,  but  it  was  un- 
fortunate. It  played  Yuan’s  game  with  the  foreign  lega- 
tions, and  by  that  time  he  was  prepared  to  deal  with  China 
himself. 

There  is  no  saying  how  successful  he  might  have  been 
had  Yuan  resolved  to  govern  along  the  lines  he  had  taken 
to  that  point,  but  the  imperial  itch  was  in  his  bones,  and 
he  could  not  restrain  his  selfishness.  Even  the  farcical 
constitution  which  he  proclaimed  might  have  lasted  for 
years  if  his  personal  ambition  had  been  kept  under  cover. 

“That  is  very  simple,”  was  said  to  be  the  late  Jay 
Gould’s  criticism  of  the  very  late  Jim  Fisk’s  explanation 
of  his  way  of  doing  a stock  business:  “When  a customer 
deposits  any  money  with  us  we  divide  it  among  the  mem- 
bers of  the  firm.” 

The  Yuan  constitution  was  just  as  simple.  There  might 
be  a Parliament,  but  Yuan  might  bend  it,  break  it  and  end 
it.  No  such  naive  statement  of  one-man  power  has  been 
put  forth  in  centuries.  In  the  name  of  a republic  it  was 
derisory.  Louis  XIV  said : “ I am  the  state,  ’ ’ so  said  Yuan. 

“It  appears  to  me  like  this,”  said  an  American  marine, 
doing  his  sentry-go  on  the  city  wall,  “Constitution  of  the 
Chinese  Republic:  ‘The  President  is  the  whole  push.’  ” 

The  comment  of  those  around  one  at  Peking  was  cynical 


PEKING  IN  THE  HEYDEY  OF  YUAN  429 


enough,  but  the  general  voice  was  that  Yuan  was  simply 
frank:  that  he  needed  the  power  if  he  was  to  hold  China 
from  the  disturbers  within  and  the  wolves  without.  One 
apologist,  however,  should  be  heard,  namely.  Dr.  F.  J. 
Goodnow,  legal  adviser  of  the  Chinese  government  and 
then  president-elect  of  Johns  Hopkins  University,  an  able, 
learned  man  of  most  agreeable  manners  and  thought-worn, 
kindly  face  with  whom  I had  the  good  fortune  to  exchange 
a few  thoughts  one  morning.  He  said  many  fine  drawn 
things  to  the  Far  Eastern  Review  regarding  what  might  be 
done  in  a legal  way  for  popular  rights  under  the  new 
instrument.  They  may  safely  be  passed  over  as  illusory. 
Indeed  he  finally  gave  up  explanation  as  a bad  job,  and 
said,  with  what  foundation  one  may  well  inquire,  “It  is  to 
be  remembered  that  this  constitution  is  not  intended  as  a 
permanent  constitution,  but  on  the  contrary  has  been  pro- 
vided to  enable  China  to  make  safely  and  with  the  least 
possible  friction  the  transition  from  the  past  autocratic  to 
some  form  of  representative  government.  ’ ’ 

One  can  pass  the  abortive  thing  by.  The  fact  was  the 
taste  of  popular  rule  still  lingered  in  the  south.  It  evi- 
dently had  some  palates  in  Peking  which  still  relished  the 
recollection  of  it.  The  gossipers  about  the  Wagons  Lits 
pooh-poohed  it.  “Yuan  is  too  strong  for  them.”  But 
there  was  Yuan  who  had  no  fear  to  risk  his  person  in 
the  old  days  of  his  service  in  Korea,  nor  in  his  later  bold 
passage  through  the  troublous  days  of  the  falling  Empire 
in  China;  there  he  was  immured  in  the  Winter  Palace 
watched  over  by  guards,  with  his  vice  president  immured 
in  another  palace  (for  his  health,  Yuan  asserted  with  a 
grim  humour)  and  the  little  boy-emperor  immured  in  still 
another  palace.  So,  the  Yuan  who  was  “too  strong”  for 
any  opposition  lived  in  fear  for  his  life.  And  it  was 
through  the  dead  heart  of  his  government  in  the  Forbidden 
City,  in  and  about  the  Hall  of  Audience  where  the  imperial 


430 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


throne  was  gathering  dust  that  I spent  a grey  afternoon 
with  a walled-up  President,  Vice  President  and  young 
deposed  emperor  within  a stone’s  throw,  and  a young 
American  Secretary  of  Legation  taking  snapshots.  And 
the  laconic  reply  of  the  rickisha  boy  came  back  to  me. 

I registered  at  the  time  and  now  repeat  that,  lamentably 
deficient  in  the  theory  and  practice  of  parliamentary  rule 
as  China  may  be,  no  government  can  there  survive  which  is 
not  measurably  founded  on  popular  control.  Yuan  was 
wrecked  on  another  shoal,  but  sooner  or  later  the  keel  of 
his  ship  of  state  would  have  found  itself  in  the  shallows 
because  of  his  doing  to  death  of  the  legislature  and  the  bur- 
lesque nature  of  the  one  he  proposed  to  substitute  for  the 
debating  club  of  the  idealists  who  were  then  as  the  rickisha 
boy  intimated — “out  for  him  with  gun.”  It  did  not  make 
for  easy  access  to  him.  The  “swarm,”  for  instance,  did 
not  waste  time  seeking  to  see  him. 

But  let  me  elucidate  the  “swarm.”  Under  the  roof  of 
the  Wagons  Lits  there  sheltered  a polyglot  gathering  that 
would  come  close  to  a mass  meeting  around  the  Tower  of 
Babel  the  morning  after  verbal  misunderstandings  were 
started  on  the  globe.  Some,  of  course,  were  mere  tourists, 
taking  their  Summer  Palace  in  the  morning,  their  Temple 
of  Heaven  in  the  afternoon,  their  trips  to  the  bazaar  toward 
dusk,  and  the  cinematograph  at  night,  sometimes  making 
two  days  of  it,  and  then  off  again  to  further  skimming  of 
the  Oriental  pot,  laden  more  or  less  with  curios  and 
“antiques”  of  doubtful  antiquity. 

But  these  were  not  the  “swarm”;  it  was  not  the  tourist 
season.  If  it  were,  the  hotel  people  would  not  have  had 
quaint  workmen  in  queues  and  blue  blouses  hammering, 
sawing,  pounding  and  clamouring  at  the  tops  of  their  voices 
from  cock  crow  to  sunset.  No:  the  swarm  did  not  mind 
the  noise,  could  scarcely  hear  it.  It  was  made  up  of 
German,  French,  Dutch,  Russian,  English,  American, 


PEKING  IN  THE  HEYDEY  OF  YUAN  431 


Austrian,  Italian,  Japanese  promoters  of  big  commercial 
enterprises,  of  concession  seekers,  of  confident,  newly 
appointed  managers,  of  chagrined,  retiring  ditto,  of  happy 
chaps  getting  a vacation  and  unloading  detailed  advice  on 
the  locum  tenens  who  were  staying  through  the  dog  days. 

It  was  wonderful  to  watch  them  in  the  large  lounging 
room  where  all  white  male  Peking  seems  to  pause  for  a 
chat  or  a smoke  at  some  time  in  the  course  of  the  day. 
Each  group  suspected  the  other,  and  so  closed  in,  heads 
together,  and  looking  sideways  with  as  little  movement  of 
the  head  as  possible.  In  a few  moments  the  group  would 
scatter.  The  hundred  rickisha  boys  across  the  street  would 
then  take  them  up  in  twos  and  threes  or  singly,  and  the 
Minister  from  this  country  or  that,  some  high  Chinese 
official,  some  middleman  with  a Chinese  “pull,”  some  rich 
Chinese  merchant  with  great  inland  trade  would  receive 
their  visits.  Such  a hotbed  of  commercial,  industrial, 
political  intrigue  never  was. 

For  China,  like  a great  dead  lion,  the  dead  lion  of  the 
Empire  of  China,  lay  there  before  them,  its  exposed  vitals 
swarming  with  a minute  new  life.  That  wriggling  mass  is 
the  China  of  today,  the  Republic  of  China,  its  4,000,000 
squai'e  miles,  its  200,000,000  to  400,000,000  inhabitants,  its 
eighteen  provinces,  its  great  wealth,  its  great  poverty,  its 
slow,  ceaseless  activity,  all  inviting  exploitation.  For, 
mark  you,  it  is  alive  all  over.  And  this  only  concerned 
the  trader,  the  concession  seeker,  as  it  betokens  an  enormous 
population  alive  to  new  wants.  It  w’ants  railroads,  tele- 
graphs, telephones,  harvestei’s,  sewing  machines,  mining 
machinery,  cotton,  clothes,  oil,  naphtha,  even  soap. 

That  is  why  the  “swarm”  was  and  still  is  active  as  it 
never  was  at  Peking.  There  is  trade  to  be  done,  with 
more  and  more  of  it  in  prospect.  It  is  the  great  land  out 
of  the  whole  world  for  the  bold  risking  of  adventurous 
millions — millions  that  will  take  a big  loss  for  the  chance 


432 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


of  huge  gain.  The  cash  millions  of  England — which  have 
been  active  in  the  Orient  the  longest — had  offered  them- 
selves; also  the  cash  millions  of  France,  tired  of  two  and 
three  per  cent. ; the  cash  millions  of  Germany,  eager  for 
anything,  regular  or  predatory;  some  few  cash  millions 
from  America,  millions  from  Holland,  even  from  Venice, 
Lombardy,  Barcelona.  Most  of  all,  no  doubt,  it  concerned 
and  still  concerns  Japan.  For  Japan  in  its  new  industrial 
and  commercial  expansion  era  lies  right  alongside,  and 
naturally  desires  and  must  from  every  circumstance  insist 
on  not  being  denied  its  share. 

The  rising  against  Yuan  shih  Kai  in  1915  was  a direct 
consequence  of  the  attempt  which  he  had  carried  so  far 
to  make  himself  emperor.  He  was  practically  overthrown 
when  after  a short  illness  he  died  in  the  palace  amid  his 
wives  and  twenty-four  children.  No  doubt  he  was  sick 
unto  death  for  some  days,  but  whether  his  going  was 
hastened  as  a matter  of  state  by  palace  poisoners  as  widely 
hinted,  or  was  indeed  due  to  the  shock  of  suddenly  awaken- 
ing to  the  overthrow  of  his  castle  of  imperial  dreams,  may 
never  be  known.  At  any  rate  the  confused  condition  of 
affairs  thereafter  kept  the  “swarm”  busier  than  ever. 
Whether  Li  Yuan  Hung,  the  new  President  or  Premier 
Tuan  and  his  kaleidoscopic  Cabinet  or  the  Parliament 
should  rule  was  a long  guessing  season  for  them.  The 
reactionary  uprising  of  1917,  the  brief  appearance  of  the 
boy-emperor  as  a momentary  ruler  and  his  just  as  sudden 
disappearance  made  another  time  of  trouble  for  the 
intriguers  of  the  Wagons  Lits.  Through  all  these  periods 
the  German  group  had  been  perhaps  the  busiest.  They 
stood  high  with  Yuan,  how  high  will  be  known  in  time. 
There  is  little  doubt  that  the  various  orders  from  Peking 
designed  to  hamper  the  Japanese  in  their  attack  upon  and 
reduction  of  Tsing-tao  were  of  German  suggestion,  and  that 
the  subsequent  resistance  to  and  outcry  against  the  Jap- 


PEKING  IN  THE  HEYDEY  OF  YUAN  433 


anese  proposals  to  China  were  of  German  inspiration  there 
is  now  no  doubt  whatever.  To  what  extent  the  British  and 
American  journalists  of  Peking  were  the  dupes  of  the 
German  network  of  intrigue  will  also  be  divulged  in  time. 
At  any  rate  the  German  influence  waned  under  British  and 
Japanese  pressure,  and  today  is  crushed  out  of  sight,  its 
last  struggle  being  against  the  entry  of  China  into  the 
war  on  the  side  of  the  Entente  Allies.  It  leaves  the  way 
pretty  clear  for  Japan,  America,  Great  Britain  and  France 
in  China’s  trade  after  the  European  war,  and  for  Japan 
and  America  till  the  war  is  ended. 

To  cross  a certain  street  from  the  Wagons  Bits  Hotel  is 
to  find  oneself  in  a world  apart  from  the  rest  of  Peking. 
You  are  in  the  Legation  quarter.  Its  aspect  is  rather  that 
of  a university  town  in  Europe  than  anything  peculiar  to 
Asia.  The  grey  stone  look  of  walls  and  buildings,  the 
paved,  sidewalked  streets,  the  occasional  stately  entrance 
gates  of  the  homes  of  the  embassies  with  a glimpse  of 
dignified  inner  court,  the  general  quiet  all  make  their 
impression.  Armed  soldiers  of  the  different  nationalities 
are  on  guard  inside  the  gates,  and  in  different  localities  one 
catches  a glimpse  of  companies  in  the  different  compounds 
at  drill.  My  rickisha  boy  once  running  in  by  that  route 
from  the  outskirts  saw  as  I did  the  manoeuvring  soldiers 
in  open  grassy  spaces  on  either  side  of  the  road.  Toward 
one  he  waved  a hand  and  said:  “Oui,  oui,”  and  to  the 
other,  “Ja,  ja,”  laughing  delightedly.  They  were  the 
French  and  German  contingents  at  drill.  Within  a couple 
of  months  they  were  each  to  carry  their  rifles  with  a dif- 
ferent meaning.  Down  by  the  British  Legation,  the  scene 
of  the  Boxer  siege  of  1900,  there  was  a bullet-pierced  piece 
of  wall  with  the  inscription,  “Lest  we  Forget.”  So  our 
civilization  halts  between  times  of  battle. 

Naturally  my  first  visit  in  the  quarter  was  to  the 
United  States  Legation  in  its  comfortable  quarters  near 


434 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


the  city  wall,  on  top  of  which  American  sentinels  in  the 
uniform  of  the  marines  marched  to  and  fro.  Minister  Paul 
Samuel  Reinsch,  who  received  me  courteously  was,  as  I 
have  stated  in  the  previous  chapter,  about  to  start  for  his 
summer  vacation  in  Switzerland.  He  had  the  look  of  the 
jaded  bookman,  and  seemed  worn  down  under  nervous 
strain.  He  had,  apparently,  much  on  his  mind  that  he 
would  be  glad  to  see  solved  before  his  departure.  We 
talked  of  the  condition  of  China  about  which  he  seemed 
to  be  hopeful.  He  was  anxious  when  I mentioned  a desire 
to  see  President  Yuan,  that  if  the  Legation  succeeded  in 
obtaining  the  permission,  I should  limit  myself  to  shaking 
hands  and  saying  how  do  you  do.  His  departure  wdthin 
a few  hours  left,  as  I have  already  stated,  the  visit  to  Yuan 
in  the  air,  where  it  stiU  is  and  will  be  for  all  time.  A very 
informal  morning  reception,  attended  scatteringly  by 
Legation  secretaries  civil  and  military  of  other  nationali- 
ties and  a score  or  so  of  Americans,  was  all  that  officially 
marked  the  Glorious  Fourth  when  it  came  around.  The 
young  officials  and  the  American  civilians  managed,  how- 
ever, to  put  a little  warmth  into  the  quiet  affair.  A base- 
ball match  among  the  marines  wms  the  only  other  festivity 
of  the  day.  That  did  not  lack  energy. 

I paid  a couple  of  visits  to  the  Japanese  Embassy,  then 
also  in  charge  of  a locum  tenens,  the  courteous,  long-headed 
Mr.  Yukioki  Obata,  one  of  them  a recherche  dinner  of  rare 
Chinese  comestibles  with  a bright  international  company 
that  made  a long  evening  pass  pleasantly.  At  the  church 
funeral  of  an  official  in  the  diplomatic  circle  the  notable 
thing  was  the  assembly  of  equipages  of  various  types,  some 
very  showy  and  others  somewhat  shabby  tenanted  by  very 
solemn-looking  men,  most  of  them  in  black  and  others  in 
the  uniform  of  a dozen  different  armies.  It  was  an  un- 
pleasant reminder  of  the  fact  that  the  Japanese  ambassa- 
dor to  whom  I carried  an  introduction  from  Tokyo  and  the 


I.  THE  TEMPLE  OF  HEAVEN,  PEKING 
2 HOANG  LU  GATE,  TEMPLE  OF  CONFUCIUS.  PEKING 


AMONG  THE  DESERTED  PALACES  IN  THE  FORBIDDEN  CITY, 

PEKING 


PEKING  IN  THE  HEYDEY  OF  YUAN  435 


Charge  d ’Affaires,  Mr.  Midzuno  whom  I had  known  during 
his  consul  generalship  in  New  York  as  a bright  cosmo- 
politan and  thorough  good  fellow  had  both  died  within  a 
few  weeks  of  each  other,  both  after  my  arrival  in  Japan. 
It  confirmed  me  in  the  idea  that  Peking  was  an  unhealthful 
place  for  the  foreigner  in  summer  time.  Most  people  one 
met,  except  natives,  were  troubled  internally  one  way  or 
another. 

Although  I did  not  see  Yuan,  I met  several  of  the  high 
Chinese  officials.  The  most  interesting  to  me  was  Admiral 
Tsai  Ting  Kan,  whose  resounding  name  had  in  some  way  a 
joyous  suggestion  of  my  childhood.  He  was  found  in  a 
yamen  not  far  off  to  whose  inner  offices  one  was  ushered 
without  much  formality  after  an  examination  of  creden- 
tials. It  was  an  old  stone  structure  with  a low  stone  gate. 
One  passed  through  a bit  of  garden  and  in  a well-lighted 
room,  a stalwart  man  of  robust  middle  age  with  short  black 
hair  and  moustache  above  a strong,  open  face  of  European 
rather  than  Mongol  outline,  lighted  by  an  engaging  smile, 
rose  from  his  desk  table  to  greet  me.  He  seemed  younger 
than  his  over  fifty  years  and  spoke  English  fluently  and 
with  little  trace  of  accent.  When  one  learned  that  he  had 
spent  eight  years  as  a student  in  America,  being  a very 
young  man  when  he  with  others  accompanied  Y'ung  Wing 
to  the  United  States  in  1873,  one  was  not  surprised  that 
there  was  no  hesitation  in  his  speech.  He  was  then  and  to 
the  day  of  Yuan’s  death  his  secretary,  very  close  to  him 
and  thoroughly  loyal.  Chinese  naval  history  is  not  of  the 
proudest,  but  in  whatever  there  was  of  personal  glory  Tsai 
had  a full  share.  On  his  return  from  America  he  entered 
the  torpedo  school,  and  during  the  China- Japanese  war  of 
1895  commanded  a flotilla  of  torpedo  boats  in  the  naval 
engagements  off  Port  Arthur,  on  the  Yalu  and  at  Wei- 
haiwei.  He  rose  in  the  service  after  the  war,  and  had  the 
good  fortune  to  attract  the  attention  of  Yuan  shih  Kai 


436 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


when  the  latter  was  Governor  of  Chihli,  the  province  which 
includes  Peking.  His  breezy  manner,  his  cheerfulness  and 
a certain  steady  glance  of  the  eye  are  not  often  in  the 
Chinese  temperament,  but  they  captivated  Yuan,  and  rank 
followed  service.  He  had  been  chief  of  a department  in 
the  ministry  of  the  navy,  but  on  Yuan’s  coming  to  Peking 
he  was  transferred  to  his  personal  staff  at  Yuan’s  special 
request.  He  seemed  happy  in  his  job,  but  would  probably 
look  happy  anywhere. 

Very  optimistic  he  was  about  China’s  future  under  Yuan. 
He  told  of  the  President’s  wide  knowledge  of  men  through- 
out the  vast  republic  and  his  shrewd  valuation  of  them, 
giving  instances  beyond  my  power  to  recall  and  dwelt 
upon  Yuan’s  ability  in  creating  order,  his  creation  of  the 
Chinese  army  and  police.  Also  he  admitted  the  greatness 
of  the  task  of  having  the  revenue  collected  with  an  elimina- 
tion of  the  old,  old  process  of  dwindling  to  a fraction  be- 
tween the  payment  of  the  tax  and  its  reaching  the  treasury 
at  Peking.  One  could  expect  no  less  from  a presidential 
secretary  talking  to  a foreigner,  but  there  was  a ring  of 
sincerity  about  his  utterance.  China  was  at  peace  with 
the  world  without,  and  order  had  been  re-established 
within.  A certain  bandit  chief  then  much  in  the  public 
eye  who  also  proclaimed  himself  a patriot  under  the  title 
of  the  White  Wolf,  and  who  had  been  harrying  towns  and 
villages  in  the  Western  provinces  and  always  escaping 
Yuan’s  slow-footed  soldiers.  Admiral  Tsai  dismissed  with 
a wave  of  the  hand.  “We’ll  catch  him,”  he  said.  They 
did,  too,  for  soon  thereafter,  after  many  flights,  the  White 
Wolf  “disappeared.”  Of  Yuan  himself  he  was  cautious 
in  speaking.  He  praised  his  industry  as  well  as  his  grasp, 
his  intelligence  in  his  great  task,  looking  graver  than  in 
speaking  of  anything  else.  His  confidence  in  his  master 
seemed  very  profound.  It  is  not  improbable  that  Admiral 
Tsai  Ting  Kan  could  tell  as  much  as  any  one  about  the 


PEKING  IN  THE  HEYDEY  OF  YUAN  437 


hidden  side  of  the  last  days  of  Yuan.  That  way  lies  great 
drama. 

A subtler  mind  and  more  official  Chinese  face  belonged 
to  Mr.  Chou  Tsi-ch’i,  then  Minister  of  Finance,  whom  I 
visited  a couple  of  days  later  at  the  office  of  that  ministry. 
He  also  had  been  educated  in  America  and  spoke  English 
in  a way  at  once  fluent  and  constrained.  His  temper 
seemed  far  from  sunny,  and  his  voice  had  the  thin  com- 
plaining quality.  Yet  he  seemed  very  anxious  to  be  civil, 
and  explained  the  complicated  and  at  bottom  unsatisfac- 
tory condition  of  China’s  finances  with  patience  and  where 
necessary  with  fulness.  These  things  of  which  I made 
copious  note  after  leaving  him,  are  only  of  relative  interest 
now,  but  I recall  his  deploring  the  withdrawal  of  the 
United  States  from  the  Chinese  Quintuple  Power  loan 
with  a real  regret.  The  same  withdrawal  had  moved  Mr. 
Denison,  the  American  adviser  of  Japan,  to  similar  regret 
mingled  with  some  feeling  that  America  ought,  however 
administrations  might  change,  to  pursue  a consistent  policy 
in  things  like  that.  As  I was  not  the  custodian  of  Secre- 
tary of  State  William  J.  Bryan’s  conscience,  and  had  no 
answer  of  my  own  that  I cared  to  make  I held  my  peace 
with  both  of  the  Asiatic  statesmen.  Mr.  Chou  brightened 
a little  in  talking  of  the  great  success  of  the  Salt  Gabelle  or 
governmental  salt  monopoly  under  the  management  of  Sir 
Richard  Dane,  an  Irishman  long  in  the  British  India  civil 
service,  filling  many  posts  of  honour  and  hard  work  and 
finally  from  1898  to  1913  concerned  in  managing  the  Indian 
salt  revenue,  being  then  chosen  to  rescue  the  Chinese 
salt  tax  from  the  dominions  of  “graft”  and  “squeeze.” 
That  he  was  a native  of  Kingstown,  County  Dublin,  where 
I had  been  born,  certainly  took  nothing  from  his  lustre  in 
my  eyes.  Peking  just  then  was  ringing  with  tributes  to  the 
business  methods  of  Sir  Richard,  and  the  $60,000,000  which 
replaced  the  slim  13,000,000  taels  of  former  years  trimmed 


438 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


down  on  its  way  to  the  imperial  exchequer.  But  Mr.  Chou 
only  brightened  for  a moment.  There  were  other  troubles 
— banking,  currency,  indemnities,  foreign  loans — and  the 
needs  of  the  government  tugging  ever  at  the  treasury 
door.  He  was  indeed  plaintive  in  his  reproach  to  Japan 
over  her  desire  to  pay  less  than  the  five  per  cent,  customs 
duty  on  cotton.  “Why  can’t  they  be  satisfied  with  the 
rate  as  it  is?’’  He  almost  wept. 

It  did  not  make  an  attractive  picture  of  the  Secretary’s 
high  office  in  the  government  of  a power  as  great  as  China. 
His  curved  nose  became  peaked,  his  small  dark  eyes  roving 
suspiciously  almost  closed  with  his  emotion,  and  he  per- 
spired freely.  He  had  been  in  the  diplomatic  service  under 
the  Empire  and  had  held  positions  in  the  finance  depart- 
ment when  Yuan  came  to  power,  once  Acting  Minister,  then 
Governor  of  the  Bank  of  China  and  later  IMinister  of  Com- 
munications. He  accumulated  sorrow  it  would  appear 
with  each  elevation.  He  always  saw  how  much  better 
things  could  and  should  be,  and  no  doubt  tried  to  better 
them.  Whether  it  was  intense  inner  honesty  or  merely 
successive  souring,  the  outlook  was  not  cheering  to  Mr. 
Chou.  He  went  down  in  Yuan’s  crash,  and  was  lucky 
to  be  able  to  seek  harbour  in  Japan. 

From  one  or  another  it  was  not  hard  to  get  a pretty  full- 
length  picture  of  the  central  figure  in  this  great  turnover. 
To  my  mind  Yuan  shih  Kai,  despite  his  services  to  the 
state,  was  always  a self-seeker  and  coarse-of-grain,  with  a 
grim  sense  of  humour,  shown  for  instance  so  frequently  in 
his  decrees,  wherein  he  bestowed  various  disabling  diseases 
and  conditions  upon  officials  whom  he  was  removing  from 
office : “He  will  go  to  Honan  or  Shantung,  as  the  case  might 
be,  to  nurse  his  infirm  legs  or  rest  his  swollen  arms  or  cure 
his  headaches.  ’ ’ That  official  lost  no  time  in  leaving  Peking, 
for  Yuan  had  little  compunction  about  taking  life  in  cold 
blood.  Like  the  inefficient  ballet-girl  who  was  “good  to 


PEKING  IN  THE  HEYDEY  OF  YUAN  439 


her  mother”  and  so  was  kept  in  the  line,  Yuan  was  good 
and  kind  to  his  family  however  he  hurt  or  helped  others. 
It  is  at  best  an  animal  trait,  and  comports  with  many  an 
ugly  attribute  in  patriarchs  as  well  as  quadrupeds.  A 
friendly  view  of  him  at  that  time  described  his  attitude  to 
his  task: 

“He  wants  to  act  unhampered.  He  wants  to  reorganize 
the  personnel  of  the  entire  government,  as  he  says,  ‘in  the 
interest  of  the  whole  country.’  He  believes  he  knows  the 
pace  at  which  China  can  march,  and  he  will  not  force  it 
a single  step ; but  he  will  have  responsibility  in  office.  He 
is  organizing  the  finances ; he  wants  development  of  natural 
resources;  he  is  granting  concessions  that  do  not  destroy 
the  dignity  of  the  state  or  sign  away  its  birthright,  but 
which  mean  substantial  progress  in  this  part  or  that  of  the 
great  territory — and  profit  to  the  government.  He  depre- 
cates haste;  China  is  old,  is  conservative  and  must  not 
be  hurried. 

“He  puts  on  no  style.  He  dresses  plainly.  At  official 
receptions  he  wears  a marshal’s  uniform.  When  the 
President  is  in  mufti,  wearing  a short  jacket,  he  gives 
nowadays  the  impression  at  first  glance  of  a prosperous 
Chinese  trader.  He  is  not  big — about  five  feet  six  inches 
high — and  chunky  rather  than  obese  of  build.  His  silver 
white  hair  is  cropped  short,  and  ho  wears  a thick,  white 
‘old  man’s’  moustache  and  a little  tuft  under  his  lower 
lip,  although  he  is  only  fifty-five  years  old.  He  does  his 
daily  stint  of  work  in  a rather  small  Chinese  room  in  a 
single-story  building  at  the  palace,  not  far  from  where  he 
lives  in  the  "Winter  Palace,  once  the  home  of  the  late 
Empress  Dowager.  He  is  deliberate  in  speech,  with  a 
large  apparent,  tolerance,  which  is  really  a self-imposed 
patience,  for  he  has  generally  made  up  his  mind  long 
before  arguments  are  over,  often  before  they  have 
begun.” 


440 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


It  was  thus  that  Joseph  Leiter  of  Chicago  saw  him  about 
a month  before  my  visit  to  Peking.  He  was  not  fond  of 
seeing  people  like  that,  but  asked  Joseph  if  it  was  his 
first  visit  to  China,  beamed  cordially  on  him  and  said  good- 
bye. And  his  own  good-bye  was  not  so  far  off. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 


SOME  ANTI-JAPANESE  POLEMICS 

Factors  that  have  wrought  a change — Yuan  shih  Kai’s  death  and 
the  Chinese  Republic — America’s  entrance  into  the  war — The 
aborted  anti-Japanese  attacks — An  answer  to  an  assailant — 
Failure  of  the  pro-Chinese  Cabal — The  Lansing-Ishii  agree- 
ment that  closes  the  chapter. 

The  death  of  Yuan  shih  Kai,  President  of  the  Chinese 
Republic,  following  so  closely  the  overthrow  of  his  am- 
bitious plot  to  make  himself  Emperor  of  China,  changed 
matters  materially  in  the  Far  East.  It  restored  the 
Chinese  Republic  which,  however  poorly  organized  it  has 
since  proved,  makes  by  that  much  for  some  semblance  of 
popular  government,  and  I believe  ensures  a gradual  if 
slow  advance  in  solidarity  and  ordered  rule.  The  outbreak 
which  for  a few  days  of  1917  saw  the  boy-emperor  taken 
from  his  palace  prison  and  placed  upon  the  throne  in  the 
Forbidden  City  only  to  be  hurried  back  to  obscurity  again, 
cost  but  a few  rounds  of  machine-gun  ammunition,  and  a 
few  lives.  Under  a new  President  and  Cabinet  with  more 
or  less  of  a Parliament,  with  more  or  less  unity  between 
north  China  and  south  China,  the  republic  resumed.  That 
in  the  course  of  my  brief  visit  to  Peking  in  1914  in  the 
fulness  of  Yuan  shih  Kai’s  sway,  I detected  that  wily 
person’s  bent  toward  making  himself  Emperor,  and  re- 
corded the  opinion  that  Yuan  was  facing  the  impossible 
in  attempting  to  rule  without  a real  Parliament,  is  a source 
of  satisfaction  to  me.  He  is  gone  now,  his  childish  auto- 
cratic constitution  with  him,  and  may  all  the  Confueian 

441 


442 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


consolations  rest  in  the  hearts  of  his  numerous  widows 
and  twenty-four  children!  According  to  the  latest  lights 
showing  Yuan  in  the  act  of  allowing  German  intrigue  to 
be  the  real  factor  in  his  attitude  to  Japan,  America  and 
the  rest  of  the  world,  it  should  make  him  revolve  in  his 
coffin  to  see  the  Chinese  government  declare  a state  of  war 
between  the  Chinese  republic  and  the  German  Emperor. 

The  entry  of  America  into  the  w'ar  is,  however,  a 
mightier  factor  of  change  in  Far  Eastern  conditions  and 
outlook.  For  one  thing  at  a stroke  it  laj^s  the  ghost  of 
that  bogey  of  American  and  other  demogogues  “the 
Japanese  menace”  to  the  United  States  and  her  interests 
in  Asia.  As  the  visit  of  the  Imperial  Japanese  Commission 
to  the  United  States  under  Viscount  Ishii  demonstrated, 
Japan  stands  side  by  side  with  the  United  States  as  an 
ally  in  war,  and  proclaims  that  her  interests  in  peace  are 
as  our  interests  based,  so  far  as  China  is  concerned,  on 
the  “open  door”  of  John  Hay’s  diplomacy,  on  “equal 
opportunity”  in  trade  throughout  China,  and  pledges  her- 
self to  respect  hereafter  the  “territorial  integrity”  of 
China.  That  all  this  is  in  a manner  sealed  in  the  agree- 
ment between  the  two  governments  is  very  gratifjung. 

The  outlook,  therefore,  for  an  uninterrupted  reign  of 
peaceful  trading  and  a growth  of  good  will  between  China 
and  Japan  is  excellent,  as  it  is  for  fruitful  friendship  be- 
tween Japan  and  the  United  States.  When  to  these  are 
added  the  prospect  that  the  German  grip  upon  China  can 
never  be  retaken:  that  Great  Britain  and  France  will  fall 
in  loyally  with  the  new  condition,  and  that  Russia,  in  her 
new  if  violent  democracy,  will  never  again  attempt  to  play 
the  part  of  tyrant  in  the  Far  East,  the  foundations  seem 
securely  laid  for  sealing  in  clear  and  definite  terms  and 
for  a long  future  a pact  of  peace  for  all  the  lands  border- 
ing on  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

From  this  much  changed  and  cheering  condition  I think 


SOME  ANTI-JAPANESE  POLEMICS 


443 


it  useful  here  to  look  back  to  my  part  in  a struggle  in 
defence  of  the  very  things  which  time  has  evolved  as  the 
solution  of  complications  of  some  years  back.  One  cannot 
study  closely  a country  and  its  problems  without  reaching 
some  conclusions  on  the  latter.  In  Peking,  as  I have  shown, 
these  Japanese  problems  were  made  to  wear  an  entirely 
different  aspect  in  the  view  of  many  whom  I met  there. 
In  America  itself  after  my  return  home,  I found  these 
views,  reinforced  and  expanded,  being  flung  before  our 
public  with  extraoi’dinary  bitterness  in  a series  of  news- 
paper attacks.  They  plainly  derived  from  German  sources, 
using  what  I have  designated  as  “the  swarm”  in  Peking — 
would-be  concessionaires,  job-seekers,  some  among  the  mis- 
sionaries, floating  diplomatists,  interested  professors  and 
English-speaking  journalists  as  well  as  Yuan  himself.  The 
outbreak  of  the  European  war,  the  wresting  of  Tsing-tao 
from  the  Germans  by  the  Japanese,  the  treaty  between 
Japan  and  China  thereafter  were  the  outstanding  events 
which  these  new  assailants  of  the  peace  of  nations  treated 
as  the  conditions  precedent  to  their  arguments.  It  seemed 
easy  to  divine  that  the  attacks  were  instigated  by  Yuan 
shih  Kai,  but  not  so  easy  to  discover  that  they  were  the 
result  (however  unconsciously  on  the  part  of  the  actors), 
of  German  intrigue  in  Peking  and  Shanghai.  And  yet,  as 
it  turns  out,  it  was  so.  Nor  should  it  be  surprising  when 
one  considers  the  great  web  of  the  fatuous  and  the  futile 
woven  by  Germany’s  donkey  diplomacy  all  over  the  world 
preparatory  to  its  declaration  of  war  which  was  to  lay 
the  world  at  its  feet.  Quite  of  a piece  with  the  Zimmer- 
mann  masterpiece  of  inciting  Mexico  to  war  on  the  United 
States  “with  Japan  as  an  ally”  would  be  the  idea  of  setting 
Japan  and  the  United  States  by  the  ears  over  the  trade 
of  China. 

While  this  sinister  campaign  has  been  whistled  down  the 
wind  and  its  protagonists  stricken  with  something  like  the 


444 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


fate  of  Belshazzar’s  legions,  it  was  for  a time  a disturbing 
factor.  In  answer  to  its  manifestations  in  the  press  to 
which,  like  all  sensational  matter,  it  found  a ready  entrance, 
I had,  among  others,  written  in  reply.  Once  when  one  of 
the  attacking  party — Mr.  George  Bronson  Rea — dressed  up 
a series  of  these  attacks  in  pamphlet  form  with  the  special 
view  of  influencing  the  United  States  Congress  and  pub- 
lished it  in  Washington  under  the  title  “Japan’s  Place  in 
the  Sun — the  Menace  to  America”  a number  of  the  replies 
made  as  the  articles  appeared  were  gathered  between  covers 
and  published  under  the  title  “Japan’s  Real  Attitude  To- 
ward America.”  To  this  collection  I contributed  a paper, 
“Mr.  Rea  and  His  Mission”  which  threw  into  one  article 
the  main  points  of  communications  which  appeared  in  the 
New  York  Herald,  New  York  Tribune  and  Public  Ledger 
of  Philadelphia,  traversing  many  of  Mr.  Rea’s  anti-Jap- 
anese  vagaries,  and  adding  thereto  some  narrative  and 
comments  which  his  later  efforts  against  the  peace  of  the 
United  States  seemed  to  call  for.  It  is  a live  part  of  a 
lively  battle  for  the  right  and  hereinafter  follows : 

“Mr.  George  Bronson  Rea  in  his  recent  pamphlet, 
adorned  ironically  on  its  cover  with  the  sunburst  of  Japan, 
and  which  he  devotes  to  an  endeavour  to  upset  the  good  rela- 
tions between  the  United  States  and  Japan,  is  guilty  of  a 
double  offence: 

“1.  His  garbling,  mutilating  and  deliberate  misconstru- 
ing of  quotations  to  help  his  unworthy  cause  make  one 
branch  of  this  unscrupulousness. 

“2.  His  hideous  and  unpardonable  statement  in  the 
same  pamphlet,  to  the  effect  that  all  Americans  who  stand 
for  the  good  faith  of  Japan,  against  the  bitter  micrepresen- 
tations  of  himself  and  his  kind,  are  traitorously  engaged 
in  putting  stumbling-blocks  in  the  way  of  American  ‘pre- 
paredness’ is  the  other. 


SOME  ANTI-JAPANESE  POLEMICS 


445 


“The  latter — a black  falsehood  and  an  infamous  libel — 
is  not  to  be  passed  over  lightly,  not  merely  on  account  of 
its  personal  bearing,  but  because  it  is  the  one  foul  item  on 
which  he  counts  to  inflame  the  minds  of  the  thoughtless, 
and  incite  a belief  in  the  coarse  propositions  that  follow  it. 
It  is  shameful. 

‘ ‘ The  mental  and  moral  calibre  must  be  very  low  to  make 
so  base  a charge  in  face  of  the  ease  of  controverting  it. 

“He  says,  with  some  glimmer  of  perception,  that  when  he 
emits  one  of  his  misshapen  missiles,  he  is  sure  to  awaken 
some  one  who  deplores  the  ‘wrong  impression.’  That  is 
very  euphemistic  for  the  utterances  that  should  characterize 
his  defamatory  output.  The  late  Horace  Greeley  would 
have  expressed  it  otherwise.  Tennyson  has  said: 

“ ‘A  lie  which  is  all  a lie  may  he  met  and  fought  with  outright, 
But  a lie  which  is  part  a truth  is  a harder  matter  to  fight.’ 

“Mr.  Rea’s  utterance  regarding  American  ‘prepared- 
ness’ and  the  attitude  of  the  American  believers  in  Japan’s 
good  faith  falls  within  the  first  category.  His  garbling 
and  misquoting  fall  under  the  second  line.” 

In  one  of  his  latest  letters  Mr.  Rea  devoted  a stream  of 
inky  epithets  to  myself  among  others,  slurring  our  devotion 
to  America  or,  as  an  alternative,  our  intelligence.  However 
it  may  be  about  the  latter,  no  man  shall  in  my  case  impugn 
the  former.  A man’s  loyalty  is  sacred  ground,  and  no 
Dugald  Dalgetty  can  trespass  on  it.  That  is  my  personal 
part  of  it.  I shall  deal  with  “preparedness”  further  on 
as  a general  proposition,  I trust  conclusively.  Meanwhile 
let  us  look  a little  closer  at  Mr.  Rea. 

He  complains  of  “personalities”!  Why,  they  are  of  the 
very  essence  of  this  argument.  It  is  in  vain  that  Mr.  Rea 
of  Washington,  D.  C.,  wishes  to  throw  off  all  personal  con- 
nection with  the  Mr.  Rea  of  Shanghai,  China,  who  wrote 


446 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


another  recent  series  of  articles  in  American  papers  attack- 
ing Japan  in  the  interests  of  China  whereof  the  hand- 
writing was  that  of  Mr.  Rea,  but  the  voice  was  that  of  a 
mandarin.  They  were  without  effect.  They  did  not  stir  a 
ripple.  Later,  since  the  Peking  government  has  fallen  into 
its  tangle  with  the  Chinese  revolutionary  republicans,  and 
the  efforts  of  his  Chinese  congeners  to  enter  the  American 
loan  market  have  been  thereby  aborted,  Mr.  Rea  felt  that 
he  should  create  a devil-fish  flurry  in  the  waters  and  write 
his  future  attacks  on  Japan  from  the  “American  stand- 
point,” if  you  please.  Is  it  right  or  fair  that  he  should 
shed  his  skin  in  this  matter,  leave  out  altogether  his  Chinese 
association,  his  pro-Chinese  incitations  to  attack  on  Japan, 
as  easily  as  he  had  shed  his  badge  of  service  to  the  Chinese 
Republic  and  to  Sun  Yat  Sen  ? Who  is  he  to  vilipend  all 
those  loyal,  honest  Americans  who  like  myself  will  not 
take  his  word  that  Japan’s  policies  are  the  seizure  of  China 
and  the  conquest  of  the  United  States.  If  he  added  to  this 
program  the  annexation  of  Siberia  and  the  bagging  of 
India  and  Australia  it  would  be  scarcely  more  irresponsibly 
fantastic — and  mentally  lamentable. 

Mr.  Rea  some  years  since  established  himself  at  Shanghai, 
China,  and  there  in  company  with  a well-known  journalist, 
now  of  Peking,  founded  the  Far  Eastern  Review.  It  is 
amusing  to  note  that  this  partner  is  one  of  those  whom 
Mr.  Rea  is  fain  to  quote  when  he  is  claiming  support  for 
his  various  “views.”  In  time  came  the  sudden  overthrow 
of  the  Manehu  dynasty  in  China,  and  Mr.  Rea  attached 
himself  to  the  revolution,  accepting  high  office  from  Sun 
Yat  Sen.  When  the  infant  republic  went  under,  Mr.  Rea 
went  over  to  the  new  government  which  put  a piuce  upon 
the  head  of  Sun  Yat  Sen ! Mr.  Rea  appeared  in  the  United 
States  last  year  apparently  in  the  train  of  the  Chinese 
governmental  delegation  that  came  over  in  the  interest  of 
Chinese  loans  and  so  forth,  appearing,  according  to  the 


SOME  ANTI-JAPANESE  POLEMICS 


447 


papers,  at  the  Chinese  restaurants  in  New  York  where  the 
local  Chinese  feted  the  delegation.  At  the  same  time  he 
began  his  first  series  of  letters  aiming  to  show  that  Japan 
was  about  to  swallow  China. 

And  whom,  in  his  pamphlet  directed  against  the  peace  of 
the  United  States  and  Japan,  does  he  put  forward  to  vouch 
for  him?  Professor  Jeremiah  Jenks,  long  in  the  service 
of  China,  director  of  the  New  York  Chinese  Bureau,  and 
now  understood  to  be  on  his  way  to  Peking  in  pursuit 
of  his  Chinese  employment.  Truly  most  na'ive,  the  whole 
proceeding. 

And  of  these  is  the  fount  and  origin  of  the  latest  attack 
upon  Japan! 

It  is  inevitable  that  he  who  sows  distrust,  sharpens 
suspicion,  provokes  enmity,  or  pours  poison  drops  of  hatred 
into  the  mind  should,  in  times  of  stress,  be  given  readier 
access  to  the  vehicles  of  public  information  than  he  who 
simply  stands  for  faith  and  trust  in  common  honesty  and 
common  sense.  Your  poisoner  is  more  piquant.  At  what 
does  Mr.  Eea  strike?  At  America’s  faith  in  the  honesty 
of  Japan,  a friendly,  civilized,  compacted,  organized, 
progressive  nation.  As  at  his  start,  so  at  his  finish,  he 
cries  out,  “Beware!  Beware  of  Japan!”  Unfortunately 
the  refuge  of  the  false  prophet  is  the  indeterminedness  of 
his  malefic  forecast,  leaving  time  as  the  only  final  arbiter. 
Yet  as  other  false  prophets  of  Japanese  hostility  have 
fallen  on  the  time  test,  we  may  safely  put  Mr.  George 
Bronson  Rea  in  the  class  with  Captain  Hobson. 

I have  affirmed  that  Mr.  Rea’s  object  was  to  champion 
the  idea  that  China  was  the  desirable  friend  of  the  United 
States,  not  Japan — “Codling  is  the  friend,  not  Short.” 
In  his  last  letters,  however,  he  has  set  about  his  cultivation 
of  the  anti- Japanese  virus  under  cover  of  an  appeal  for 
American  “preparedness.”  Surely  his  cause  is  desperate 
when  he  seeks  to  hang  its  piebald  tatters  on  the  coat  of 


448  JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 

mail  which  America  in  her  sturdy  self-respect  is  fashioning 
today. 

It  needed  the  flame  and  shock  of  arms  of  a war-mad 
world  to  put  America  in  her  present  frame  of  mind.  When 
the  shifts  and  schemes  of  wrangling  statesmen  in  the  rear 
of  the  battling  armies  were  breaking  down  the  govern- 
mental moralities  of  the  world,  tearing  up  treaties,  ignoring 
international  laws,  it  at  last  behooved  the  great  neutral 
nation  of  the  West  to  remember  that  her  good  intentions, 
her  long  practice  of  justice  and  proved  good  will  might 
avail  nothing  before  a conquest-crazy  power  flushed  with 
bloody  victories.  America’s  strength  must  be  as  visible  of 
all  men  as  her  sense  of  justice.  It  was  no  menace  from 
Asia,  Africa  or  Oceanica,  but  from  the  powers  at  the  heart 
and  heaving  centre  of  our  most  modern  civilization — from 
Europe. 

Apart  altogether  from  what  they  stood  and  stand  for 
in  the  great  struggle,  it  was  the  menace  of  war-mad  Ger- 
many, Austria,  Prance,  England,  Russia,  Italy,  Turkey  and 
the  little  fighting  powers  in  any  combination,  aye,  all  com- 
bined— the  Old  World  against  the  New — that  woke  up  the 
United  States.  This  need  of  defensive  preparation  struck 
no  single  watchman  on  the  tower;  it  had  no  original  pre- 
cursor ; it  sprang  full-armed  from  the  minds  of  the  millions. 
It  was  not  in  succession  to  any  lobbyist  who  schemed  before 
the  war  to  sell  dynamite  to  the  government  or  to  build 
battleships  in  private  yards  on  pretence  that  this  distant 
nation  or  the  other  had  a measurable  sea  power  or  land 
power  to  do  us  harm. 

Such  calculations  have  been  the  commonplace  of  the 
chancelleries,  our  own  sea  and  land  service  included,  for 
half  a century.  We  did  not  care  how  many  their  ships, 
their  cannon  or  their  armed  men;  we  would  be  a model 
of  trust  in  normal  human  nature  and  continue  to  see  the 
normal  in  peace  and  law-abiding.  We  coined  the  word 


SOME  ANTI-JAPANESE  POLEMICS 


449 


“unthinkable”  to  show  paradoxically  what  we  thought  of 
the  war  pedlar’s  dismal  outcries.  But  with  the  progress 
of  events  in  Europe  the  nation  saw,  as  beneath  a search- 
light of  a million  candle-power,  that  the  safety,  the  honour, 
the  inviolability  of  this  continent  depended  on  our  being 
prepared  to  defend  our  shores,  our  soil,  our  homes,  to  the 
last  dollar  and  the  last  man. 

And  that  is  how  America  feels  today  and  will  feel  to- 
morrow and  hereafter  until  sanity  is  restored  to  the  world 
or  a wide  disarmament  renders  harmless  the  human  animals 
of  prey  among  the  nations — until  the  Golden  Rule  is  more 
than  a shibboleth,  is  translatable  into  acts  the  world 
around.  We  are  bent  upon  it  now  as  never  before  have 
we  been  bent  upon  a great  movement,  and  he,  big  or  little, 
who  holds  any  other  belief  or  clings  to  any  other  policy, 
call  himself  pacifist  or  what  not,  shall  be  swept  away  among 
the  unconsidered  or  the  despised. 

And  to  this  people,  thus  engaged,  thus  devoted  to  the 
idea  of  ample  warlike  defence,  come  Mr.  Rea  and  his  con- 
geners with  all  sorts  of  unmusical  instruments,  shrill  like 
Mr.  Rea  or  double-bass  like  Professor  Jenks,  to  say: 
“Japan  is  the  enemy;  China  is  the  friend;  beware  of 
Japan.” 

In  the  count  of  possible  elements  of  hostility,  certainly 
in  the  purview  of  the  professional  soldier  and  the  theoriz- 
ing tactician  of  private  life,  Japan  counts  for  so  many 
ships,  guns  and  trained,  brilliant  fighting  men,  but  not 
else  and  no  further.  On  the  other  side,  however,  she  may 
and  must  be  counted,  namely,  on  the  side  of  the  possible, 
powerful,  supporting  friend.  Why  not?  She  stands  as 
isolate  in  her  islands  under  the  lee  of  China  as  we  stand 
with  regard  to  the  powers  now  at  war  in  the  West. 

She  wants  our  trade,  our  good  will,  as  we  want  hers. 
All  her  tendencies,  national,  financial,  commercial,  are 
averse  to  conflict  with  us ; all  her  interests  likewise.  Beside 


450 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


these  tangible,  palpable  things — like  silk,  tea,  banking  and 
scholarship — the  fair,  courteous  words  of  her  statesmen, 
her  captains  of  industry,  her  Mikado,  her  generals  and 
admirals,  are  weak  as  proofs  of  friendliness,  be  they  never 
so  sincere  and  timely.  Therefore,  by  the  manly,  friendly 
word  as  by  the  national  need  and  the  great  gulf  stream  of 
profitable  trade,  Japan  stands,  I hold  and  claim,  among 
our  friends  for  the  ages,  and  not  by  any  cause  in  sight  to 
be  counted  among  our  foes. 

This  is  the  story  of  America’s  campaign  for  “prepared- 
ness” to  which  Japan  does  not  make,  cannot  make,  any 
objection.  Rather  should  she  welcome  the  thought  that  her 
possible  or  probable  fellow-champion  of  free  government 
should  in  the  event  of  Teutonic  victory  in  Europe  be  able 
to  rise  in  her  might  and  defend  the  Western  hemisphere 
against  the  demon  of  governmental  militarism,  as  Japan 
would  have  to  do  in  eastern  Asia. 

And  now  to  the  point  for  Mr.  Rea.  Where  has  he  ever 
found  a word  uttered  by  an  American  friend  of  Japan 
against  American  “preparedness”?  So  far  as  I am  con- 
cerned he  falsifies.  He  read  my  declaration  of  faith 
months  ago  in  my  reply  to  his  first  pro-Chinese  series  in 
the  Herald.  It  is  brief  and  to  the  point,  and  I requote 
it  here : 

I believe  in  the  United  States,  the  doctrine  of  Monroe,  a strong 
army  and  navy,  a fortified  canal,  the  pan-American  communion, 
the  freedom  of  trade  and  the  freedom  of  the  sea,  the  forgiveness 
of  fools  when  they  are  not  also  knaves,  the  commanding  of  peace 
on  the  Pacific  in  understanding  with  Japan,  the  friendship  of 
civilized  nations  and  progress  everlasting.  And  against  all  who 
for  whatever  cause  would  stir  up  passion  and  hate  to  the  up- 
setting of  that  doctrine,  I would  proclaim  anathema. 

Of  what  rags  does  he  construct  his  argument?  Japan 
he  says  is  overtaxed  and  underfed,  is  all  but  and  soon  will 


SOME  ANTI-JAPANESE  POLEMICS 


451 


be  (or  was  about  to  be,  but  wasn’t  in  July  last)  bankrupt 
and,  therefore,  since  her  population  is  increasing  (as  pros- 
perity always  increases  population),  she  is  bound  to  go  to 
war  with  some  one  soon,  and,  of  course,  she  will  at  once 
proceed  to  attack  the  United  States!  That  sort  of  hare- 
brained, helter-skelter  nonsense  does  not  convince  any  one, 
but  is  the  purport  of  three  of  his  letters  viewed  as  one. 
Looked  at  separately  they  are  simply  a series  of  his  mislead- 
ing opinions  and  quotations  and  without  basis  in  actual  fact 
in  the  directions  he  describes.  He  of  course  foully  wrongs 
the  Japanese  gentlemen  who  resented  the  gross  mistrans- 
lation, coarse  exploitation  and  ascription  of  a certain 
Dream  Book  of  ITar  to  Count  Okuma  and  the  leaders  of 
Japan.  I can  add  one  fact,  however,  on  that  point,  namely, 
that  the  National  Defence  Board  of  whose  title  he  makes 
sinister  use  was  not  brought  into  existence  because  of  any 
possible  dififieulty  with  America,  but  simply  as  a means 
whereby  the  appropriations  for  army  and  navy  could  go 
before  their  Parliament  with  the  highest  official  and  expert 
authority.  I was  in  Japan  at  the  time;  the  matter  was 
so  stated  in  all  the  papers.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
ministries  have  been  wrecked  on  the  question  of  army 
increase — the  Two  Divisions  question.  There  was  abso- 
lutely no  anti-American  feeling  extant  that  I could  dis- 
cover, but  not  a little  criticism  of  Baron  Kato’s  publication 
of  the  diplomatic  conversations  and  letters  on  the  questions 
between  Washington  and  Tokyo.  The  existence  of  the 
National  Defence  Board  was  as  widely  known  as  any  such 
fact  in  the  governmental  makeup.  The  contrary  idea  is 
more  than  a ‘ ‘ wrong  impression  ’ ’ on  the  part  of  Mr.  Rea  1 
While  I hold  it  manifestly  absurd  that  the  only  way  for 
a publicist  to  serve  China  is  by  misrepresenting  Japan, 
yet  that  seems  to  be  Mr.  Rea’s  idea  and  practice.  Let  it 
be  understood  that  his  “vital  irritants,’’  as  he  aptly  calls 
them,  are  applied  to  help  China  by  setting,  if  possible, 


452 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


Japan  and  the  United  States  at  loggerheads,  and  a proper 
discount  may  be  put  upon  his  narratives  and  his  very 
hollow  protestations  of  impartiality.  Moreover,  the  process 
is  distinctly  of  Chinese  origin.  Centuries  before  the 
Germans  fired  their  asphyxiating  gas  bombs  into  the 
trenches  of  the  Allies,  the  Chinese  used  their  celebrated 
hand-thrown  jars  of  evil  name  with  exactly  the  same  object, 
approaching  the  foe  as  if  holding  a gift,  and  then  smother- 
ing them  with  escaping  gases.  The  stink  bomb  was  not 
effective  in  winning  campaigns  then  any  more  than  now. 

And  why,  in  Heaven’s  name,  should  China  be  counted 
now  in  a military  sense  on  one  side  or  the  other?  Her 
unordered  bigness  is  her  weakness.  Her  advocates  dwell 
upon  her  lamentable  powerlessness  in  appealing  on  her 
behalf  against  Japan.  She  is  a vast  market,  and  the 
United  States  and  Japan  are  as  one  in  their  interest  as 
well  as  good  faith  in  keeping  real  and  valid  the  “open 
door”  and  “equal  opportunity.” 

There  is  no  honesty  in  proclaiming  the  contrary.  China 
is  struggling  to  live,  and  the  United  States  wishes  her  well 
in  the  struggle.  Whether  she  shall  be  lent  money  for 
salaries  or  railroads  depends  upon  the  order  in  her  big 
rambling  house  and  lot,  upon  her  collateral;  not,  as  Mr. 
Rea  thinks,  upon  -America’s  opinion  of  Japan.  Less 
embittered,  less  loquacious  advocates  of  China  might  find 
time  to  see  that. 

I do  not  intend  to  follow  Mr.  Rea  through  his  stories 
that  have  “part  a truth”  in  them,  but  it  is  as  well  to  note 
that  his  diatribe  opens  with  a phrase  from  Count  Okuma, 
which  Mr.  Rea  traces  to  one  of  his  Chinese  sages  of  a long 
time  ago,  but  which  might  as  aptly  be  put  in  the  mouth 
of  our  Secretary  of  War  or  the  King  of  Dahomey:  “To 
know  one ’s  enemy  is  to  know  oneself.  ’ ’ It  is,  however,  Mr. 
Rea’s  drop  of  poison,  meant  to  fiavour  all  that  is  to  follow. 
His  clear  intimation  is  that  “the  attitude  of  Japan”  toward 


SOME  ANTI-JAPANESE  POLEMICS 


453 


this  country  is  the  attitude  of  an  enemy.  Mr.  Rea’s  igno- 
rance of  the  text  or  suppression  of  his  knowledge  leads  him 
here  into  a quagmire  of  absurdity. 

Next  he  serves  up  the  good-hearted,  unsuspecting 
American,  blind  to  everything  that  will  work  him  woe 
from  under  the  pleasant  aspect  of  things.  Does  he  not  at 
the  start  misjudge  and  insult  American  intelligence? 
Then  follow  quotations  to  show  that  there  is  such  press 
censorship  in  Japan  as  to  make  government  policy  of 
whatever  he  may  find  in  the  papers  which  so  much  as 
mention  the  question  of  discrimination  by  the  state  of 
California  as  to  land-owning  against  Japanese  residing  in 
that  commonwealth.  That  is  untrue,  but  if  it  were  true, 
let  us  admit  that  the  discrimination  is  one  which  most 
naturally  hurts  Japanese  pride.  It  is  in  contravention  of 
a treaty  with  the  United  States.  Must  they  not  dare  to 
complain  of  it  on  peril  of  having  Mr.  Rea  come  down  on 
them?  Must  they  not  venture,  however  meekly,  to  ask  for 
a way  out  of  it? 

Long  has  Chinese  exclusion  been  the  policy  of  the  United 
States.  Where  are  the  Chinese  laundries  now  ? Weak  and 
without  spirit,  China  makes  no  difficulty  about  it,  and,  as 
Mr.  Rea  has  lived  so  long  in  China,  taking  the  Chinese 
view  of  things,  he  may  really  be  unable  to  put  himself  in 
the  place  of  any  other  Asiatic  people.  I shall  not  argue 
the  Japanese  contention  here.  Sufficient  to  recognize  its 
existence,  and  to  hope  that  American  statesmanship  will 
be  able  to  meet  Japan  on  some  middle  ground,  as  Baron 
Shibusawa  said  not  long  since  to  the  American  guests  at 
a dinner  here.  And  this  unsettled  question  for  statesmen 
to  solve  is  the  whole  “lock,  stock  and  barrel”  of  the  verbal 
gun  with  which  Mr.  Rea  is  bombarding  Japan,  the  missiles 
being  wads  of  twisted  pellets  from  the  publications  of 
Japan. 

It,  therefore,  is  pertinent  to  ask  which  one  of  them — 


454 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


even  that  pellet  from  the  yellow  Yorodzu — is  of  the  stuff 
that  real  thi’cats  are  made  of?  No  “fake”  like  the  United 
States  paymaster  imposition  is  too  transparent  for  Mr. 
Rea’s  purpose.  No  lifting  article  like  that  of  Count 
Okuma  on  civilization  is  too  plainly  laudable  for  any  race 
or  any  people  but  Mr.  Rea  must  quote  it  at  length  and 
wag  his  head  over  it  as  an  implied  threat  that  Japan  will 
do  some  horrible  thing  to  the  United  States.  One  may 
conceive  an  Oriental — a Chinese  as  well  as  a Japanese  sage 
— thinking  and  saying  that  the  East  has  something  to  give 
to  the  West.  Of  course  Mr.  Rea  will  think  a Chinese  might 
but  a Japanese  must  not  think  of  such  a thing,  much  less 
say  it.  Yet  let  us  requote  a paragraph; 

A nation  recreant  to  its  divine  mission  is  lost.  Our  military 
and  na%'al  power  will  anwunt  to  nothing  if  we  fail  in  our  duty 
to  humanity.  It  will  profit  us  little  to  acquire  all  the  learning 
of  the  West  if  w’e  have  nothing  to  offer  in  return;  it  is  more 
blessed  to  give  than  to  receive. 

Most  men  of  heart  or  honest  feeling  would  find  some 
excellence  in  such  a brave  sentiment.  Not  so  Mr.  Rea. 

Significant  of  his  method  I note  another  sly  attempt  to 
confuse  issues.  A certain  Dream  Book  of  War  exploited 
coarsely  by  the  Hearst  papers  and  shown  to  be  irresponsible, 
foolish — and  mistranslated — is  referred  to  in  such  a way 
as  to  make  it  possible  for  the  reader  to  imagine  that  the 
matter  Mr.  Rea  quotes  further  on  in  his  letter  is  from 
the  same  book.  It  is  not,  and  he  knows  it.  Permit  me 
also  to  doubt  his  quotation  of  a single  opinion  from  a pair 
of  princes  which  he  charges  up  to  the  Osaka  Mainichi. 

That  Prince  Higashi  Kuni  after  his  visit  to  the  Man- 
churian battlefields  spoke  of  “half-human  Yankees”  I do 
not  believe.  It  so  happened  that  I made  the  same  pil- 
grimage as  the  princes  a fortnight  after  them,  and  the 
same  Japanese  officers  who  were  my  mentors  and  guides  at 


SOME  ANTI-JAPANESE  POLEMICS 


455 


Port  Arthur,  Liaoyang  and  Mukden  had  been  theirs.  On 
the  Liaoyang  battlefield  I heard  that  Prince  Higashi  Kuni 
had  taken  photographs  of  the  celebrated  Tachibana  Hill, 
named  for  the  hero  who  had  stormed  it  and  died  fighting 
on  its  summit.  I expressed  a desire  for  copies  to  my  guides 
as  there  were  no  cameras  in  the  party.  On  my  return  to 
Tokyo  I was  waited  upon  by  the  secretary  of  his  highness 
and  presented  with  reprints  of  the  photographs,  with  a 
warmly  courteous  expression  of  good  will. 

Finally  I would  say  that  no  civic  crime  can  be  greater 
than  that  of  inciting  nations  at  peace  to  mutual 
murder,  and  more  shamefully  so  if  it  be  done  for 
sordid  ends. 

Following  the  departure  for  home  of  the  Imperial  Jap- 
anese Mission  to  the  United  States  headed  by  Viscount 
Ishii,  it  was  made  known  by  the  State  Department  at 
Washington  that  an  agreement  had  been  reached  on 
November  2,  1917,  between  the  two  governments  by  means 
of  an  exchange  of  identical  notes  dealing  wdth  the  policy 
of  the  United  States  and  Japan  in  regard  to  China.  iVIr. 
Lansing ’s  note  follows : 


“Department  of  State, 
“Washington,  November  2,  1917. 

“Excellency : 

“I  have  the  honour  to  communicate  herein  my  understanding  of 
the  agreement  reached  by  us  in  our  recent  convei’satious  touching 
the  questions  of  mutual  interest  to  our  governments  relating  to 
the  republic  of  China. 

“In  order  to  silence  mischievous  reports  that  have  from  time 
to  time  been  circulated,  it  is  believed  by  us  that  a public  announce- 
ment once  more  of  the  desires  and  intentions  shared  by  our  two 
governments  with  regard  to  China  is  advisable. 

“The  governments  of  the  United  States  and  Japan  recognize 
that  territorial  propinquity  creates  special  relations  between 
countries,  and,  consequently,  the  Government  of  the  United  States 


456 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


recognizes  that  Japan  has  special  interests  in  China,  particularly 
in  the  part  to  which  her  possessions  are  contiguous. 

“The  territorial  sovereignty  of  China,  nevertheless,  remains 
unimpaired  and  the  Government  of  the  United  States  has  every 
confidence  in  the  repeated  assurances  of  the  Imperial  Japanese 
Government  that  while  geographical  position  gives  Japan  such 
special  interests  they  have  no  desire  to  discriminate  against  the 
trade  of  other  nations  or  to  disregard  the  commercial  rights  here- 
tofore granted  by  China  in  treaties  with  other  powers. 

“The  governments  of  the  United  States  and  Japan  deny  that 
they  have  any  purpose  to  infringe  in  any  way  the  independence 
or  territorial  integrity  of  China,  and  they  declare,  furthermore, 
that  they  always  adhere  to  the  principle  of  the  so-called  “open 
door”  or  equal  opportunity  for  commerce  and  industry  in  China. 

“Moreover,  they  mutually  declare  that  they  are  opposed  to  the 
acquisition  by  any  government  of  any  special  rights  or  privileges 
that  would  affect  the  independence  or  territorial  integrity  of 
China,  or  that  would  deny  to  the  subjects  or  citizens  of  any 
country  the  full  enjoyment  of  equal  opportunity  in  the  commerce 
and  industry  of  China. 

“I  shall  be  glad  to  have  your  Excellency  confirm  this  under- 
standing of  the  agreement  reached  by  us. 

“Accept,  excellency,  the  renewed  assurance  of  my  highest 
consideration. 

“ROBERT  LANSING. 

“His  Excellency  Viscount  Kikujiro  Ishii,  Ambassador  Ex- 
traordinary and  Plenipotentiary  of  Japan,  on  special  mission.” 

Viscount  Ishii ’s  note  confirming  the  above  word  for  word 
it  is,  of  course,  unnecessary  to  quote.  But  to  those  who 
have  read  in  the  earlier  pages  of  this  chapter  the  story  of 
the  throwing  back  of  the  anti- Japanese  assaults  on  the 
peace  of  the  United  States,  it  will  be  gratifying  doubtless 
to  hear  how  remarkably  Secretary  Lansing  bears  out  the 
story  of  the  base  intrigue,  and  will  be  startled  to  learn  how 
close  to  disaster  it  brought  the  two  nations,  the  United 
Sta.tes  and  Japan.  Secretary  Lansing  said: 


SOME  ANTI- JAPANESE  POLEMICS 


457 


“Viscount  Ishii  and  the  other  Japanese  commissioners  who  are 
now  on  their  way  back  to  their  country  have  performed  a service 
to  the  United  States  as  well  as  to  Japan  which  is  of  the  highest 
value. 

“There  had  unquestionably  been  growing  up  between  the 
peoples  of  the  two  countries  a feeling  of  suspicion  as  to  the  mo- 
tives inducing  the  activities  of  the  other  in  the  Far  East,  a feelmg 
which,  if  imchecked,  promised  to  develop  a serious  situation. 
Rumours  and  reports  of  improper  intentions  were  increasing  and 
were  more  and  more  believed.  Legitimate  commercial  and  indus- 
trial enterprises  without  ulterior  motive  w^ere  presumed  to  have 
political  significance,  with  the  result  that  opposition  to  those  enter- 
prises were  aroused  in  the  other  country. 

“The  attitude  of  constraint  and  doubt  thus  created  was  fostered 
and  encouraged  by  the  campaign  of  falsehood,  which  for  a long 
time  had  been  adroitly  and  secretly  carried  on  by  Germans, 
whose  government,  as  a part  of  its  foreign  policy,  desired  espe- 
cially to  so  alienate  this  country  and  Japan  that  it  would  be  at 
the  chosen  time  no  difficult  task  to  cause  a rupture  of  their  good 
relations.  Unfortunately,  there  were  people  in  both  countries, 
many  of  whom  were  entirely  honest  in  their  beliefs,  who  accepted 
every  false  rumour  as  true,  and  aided  the  German  propaganda 
by  declaring  that  their  own  government  should  prepare  for  the 
conflict,  which,  they  asserted,  w’as  inevitable,  that  the  interests 
of  the  two  nations  in  the  Far  East  were  hostile,  and  that 
every  activity  of  the  other  country  in  the  Pacific  had  a sinister 
purpose. 

“Fortunately,  this  distrust  was  not  so  general  in  either  the 
United  States  or  Japan  as  to  affect  the  friendly  relations  of  the 
two  governments,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  feeling  of  sus- 
picion was  increasing,  and  the  untrue  reports  were  receiving  more 
and  more  credence  in  spite  of  the  earnest  efforts  which  were  made 
on  both  sides  of  the  Pacific  to  counteract  a movement  which  would 
jeopardize  the  ancient  friendship  of  the  two  nations. 

“The  visit  of  Viscount  Ishii  and  his  colleagues  has  accomplished 
a great  change  of  opinion  in  this  country.  By  frankly  denounc- 
ing the  evil  influences  which  have  been  at  work,  by  openly  pro- 
claiming that  the  policy  of  Japan  is  not  one  of  aggression,  and 


458 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


by  declaring  that  therd  is  no  intention  to  take  advantage  com- 
mercially or  industrially  of  the  special  relations  to  China  created 
by  geographical  position,  the  representatives  of  Japan  have 
cleared  the  diplomatic  atmosphere  of  the  suspicions  which  had 
been  so  carefully  spread  by  our  enemies  and  by  misguided  or 
overzealous  people  in  both  countries.  In  a few  days  the  propa- 
ganda of  years  has  been  undone,  and  both  nations  are  now  able 
to  see  how  near  they  came  to  being  led  into  the  trap  which  had 
been  skilfully  set  for  them. 

“Throughout  the  conferences  which  have  taken  place,  Yiscount 
Ishii  has  shown  a smcerity  and  candour  which  dispelled  every 
doubt  as  to  his  purpose,  and  brought  the  two  governments  into 
an  attitude  of  confidence  toward  each  other  which  made  it  possible 
to  discuss  every  question  with  frankness  and  cordiality.  Ap- 
proaching the  subjects  in  such  a spirit  and  with  the  mutual  desire 
to  remove  every  possible  cause  of  controversy,  the  negotiations 
were  marked  by  a sincerity  and  good  will  which  from  the  first 
ensured  their  success. 

“The  principal  result  of  the  negotiations  was  the  mutual  under- 
standing which  was  reached  as  to  the  principles  governing  the 
policies  of  the  two  governments  in  relation  to  China.  This  under- 
standing is  formally  set  forth  in  the  notes  exchanged,  and  now 
made  public.  The  statements  in  the  notes  require  no  explanation. 
They  not  only  contain  a reaffirmation  of  the  ‘open  door’  polic}*, 
but  introduce  a principle  of  non-interference  with  the  sovereignty 
and  territorial  integrity  of  China,  which,  generally  applied,  is 
essential  to  perpetual  international  peace,  as  clearly  declared  by 
President  Wilson,  and  which  is  the  very  foundation,  also,  of  Pan- 
Americanism,  as  interpreted  by  this  government. 

“The  removal  of  doubts  and  suspicions  and  the  mutual  dec- 
laration of  the  new  doctrine  as  to  the  Far  East  would  be  enough 
to  make  the  visit  of  the  Japanese  commission  to  the  United  States 
historic  and  memorable,  but  it  accomplished  a further  purpose, 
which  is  of  special  interest  to  the  world  at  this  time,  in  expressing 
Japan’s  earnest  desire  to  co-operate  with  this  country  in  waging 
war  against  the  German  government.  The  discussions,  which 
covered  the  military,  naval  and  economic  activities  to  be  employed 
with  due  regard  to  relative  resources  and  ability,  showed  the  same 


SOME  ANTI-JAPANESE  POLEMICS 


459 


spirit  of  sincerity  and  candour  which  characterized  the  negotia- 
tions resulting'  in  the  exchange  of  notes. 

“At  the  present  time  it  is  inexpedient  to  make  public  the  details 
of  these  conversations,  but  it  may  be  said  that  this  government 
has  been  gratified  by  the  assertions  of  Viscount  Ishii  and  his 
colleagues  that  their  government  desired  to  do  theii’  part  in  the 
suppression  of  Prussian  militarism  and  were  eager  to  co-operate 
in  every  practical  way  to  that  end.  It  might  be  added,  however, 
that  complete  and  satisfactory  luiderstandings  upon  the  matter 
of  naval  co-operation  in  the  Pacific  for  the  purpose  of  attaining 
the  common  object  against  Germany  and  her  allies  have  been 
reached  between  the  representative  of  the  imperial  Japanese  navy, 
who  is  attached  to  the  special  mission  of  Japan,  and  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  United  States  navy. 

“It  is  only  just  to  say  that  success  which  has  attended  the 
intercourse  of  the  Japanese  commission  with  American  officials, 
and  with  private  persons  as  well,  is  due  in  large  measure  to  the 
personality  of  Viscount  Ishii,  the  head  of  the  mission.  The 
natural  reserve  and  hesitation,  which  are  not  unusual  in  nego- 
tiations of  a delicate  nature,  disappeared  under  the  influence  of 
his  open  friendliness,  while  his  frankness  won  the  confidence  and 
good  will  of  all.  It  is  doubtful  if  a representative  of  a different 
temper  could  in  so  short  a time  have  done  as  much  as  Viscount 
Ishii  to  place  on  a better  and  firmer  basis  the  relations  between 
the  United  States  and  Japan.  Through  him  the  American  people 
have  gained  a new  and  higher  conception  of  the  reality  of  Japan’s 
friendship  for  the  United  States  which  will  be  mutually  beneficial 
in  the  future. 

“Viscount  Ishii  will  be  remembered  in  this  country  as  a states- 
man of  high  attainments,  as  a diplomat  with  a true  vision  of 
international  affairs,  and  as  a genuine  and  outspoken  friend  of 
America.” 


CHAPTER  XXIX 


JAPAN  AT  A GLANCE 

Emperor  — Administration  — Parliament  — Privy  Council  — The 
Judiciary — Religion — Education — Army  and  Navy — Topog- 
raphy — Climate  — Population  — Natural  products  — Manu- 
factures— Railways — Tramways — Steamships — Shipbuilding — 
Posts,  telegraph  and  telephones — Japanese  possessions. 

Emperor.  His  Imperial  Majesty  Yoshihito,  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-second  emperor  of  Japan,  born  August 
31,  1879,  ascended  throne  July  30,  1912. 

Administration.  The  Cabinet,  consisting  of  the  Premier 
and  nine  ministers  of  state,  at  present  filled  as  follows : 
Premier,  Marshal  Count  Masakata  Terauchi;  Minister  of 
Finance,  Mr.  Kazuye  Shoda;  Foreign  Affairs,  Viscount 
Ishiro  Motono ; Interior,  Baron  Shimpei  Goto ; Justice,  Mr. 
Itasu  Matsumuro;  Education,  Mr.  Ryohei  Okada;  Agricul- 
ture and  Commerce,  Mr.  Kiyishi  Nakashoji;  Communica- 
tions, Baron  Kenjiro  Den;  Army,  Lieutenant-General 
Kenichi  Oshima;  Navy,  Admiral  Tomosaburo  Kato. 

Parliament.  House  of  Peers  and  House  of  Represen- 
tatives. 

The  House  of  Peers  is  a composite  body  of  nobles  and 
distinguished  commoners.  Princes  of  the  Blood  Imperial 
and  princes  and  marquises  sit  by  right  of  their  title. 
Counts,  viscounts  and  barons  elect  certain  representatives 
of  their  orders.  Men  of  erudition  or  of  distinguished 
service  are  appointed  by  the  Emperor.  Highest  taxpayers, 
one  from  each  prefecture,  are  included.  The  House  is  now 
composed  of  twelve  princes  of  the  blood,  thirteen  princes, 

460 


JAPAN  AT  A GLANCE 


461 


thirty-three  marquises,  seventeen  counts,  sixty-eight  vis- 
counts, sixty-six  barons,  one  hundred  and  twenty-two  im- 
perial nominees,  forty-eight  highest  taxpayers. 

The  House  of  Representatives  is  composed  of  members 
elected  by  male  Japanese  subjects  of  not  less  than  twenty- 
five  years  of  age  and  paying  a direct  tax  of  not  less  than 
ten  yen.  The  House  consists  of  381  members  of  which  181 
come  from  urban  electoral  districts  and  the  rest  from  rural 
districts. 

Privy  Council.  Under  the  presidency  of  Marshal 
Prince  A.  Yamagata  and  with  a vice  president  and  twenty- 
four  councillors,  the  Privy  Council  responds  to  the  inquiry 
of  the  Mikado  on  important  state  affairs. 

The  Judiciary.  Japanese  courts  of  law,  as  to  composi- 
tion, jurisdiction  and  qualifications  of  judges,  are  the 
creation  of  parliamentary  law.  There  is  no  trial  by  jury ; 
the  judge  or  judges  decide.  Candidates  for  judgeships 
must  pass  examination.  They  are  selected  and  appointed 
for  life.  No  judge  can  be  unseated  except  by  way  of 
criminal  sentence  or  under  disciplinary  punishment.  The 
judges  sit  in  both  civil  and  criminal  cases.  Laws  passed 
by  the  Imperial  Diet  rule. 

The  courts  are — one  supreme  court  with  twenty-five 
judges  and  six  procurators;  seven  courts  of  appeals  with 
135  judges  and  thirty-six  procurators;  district  judges,  955 
in  all,  with  353  procurators  who  sit  in  fifty  district  courts, 
seventy-four  district  branch  courts,  312  local  and  1,409 
branches  of  local  courts,  making  a total  of  1,853  seats  of 
justice  with  1,115  judges  of  all  grades  and  395  procurators. 

Religion.  Religion  is  free  in  Japan,  and  in  the  religious 
world  there  is  conspicuous  friendliness  between  the  mem- 
bers of  different  creeds  and  sects. 

Shinto  (the  Way  of  the  Gods)  is  the  ancient  native  cult. 
It  is  divided  into  thirteen  officially  recognized  sects.  In 
1915  there  were  120,809  shrines  and  14,342  priests. 


462 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


Buddhism,  which  is  no  longer  supported  by  the  state,  but 
which  still  has  great  possessions  from  past  times,  and  many 
millions  of  followers,  is  divided  into  twelve  sects  ■with 
71,686  temples  and  50,983  priests. 

Christianity,  including  the  Catholic,  the  Greek  Church 
and  several  Protestant  denominations,  has  many  flourish- 
ing institutions.  In  1915  it  was  declared  to  have  1,288 
churches,  meeting  houses  and  missions,  with  2,905  pastors, 
of  which  1,361  were  foreigners,  with  a following,  native 
and  foreign,  of  148,338. 

Education.  Educational  affairs  are  generally  under 
control  of  the  Department  of  Education,  which  consists  of 
three  bureaus  of  special  education,  general  education  and 
religious.  The  exceptions  to  this  control  are  the  Peers’ 
School,  various  military  and  naval  schools  and  colleges. 
Nautical  School  and  Post  and  Telegraph  School. 

All  public  schools  are  strictly  secular;  private  schools 
are  at  liberty  to  include  religion  in  their  curriculum. 

The  universities.  There  are  four  imperial  universities, 
ranking  the  highest  in  the  Empire,  with  865  instructors 
and  teachers,  and  9,611  students  in  1915  produced  2,585 
graduates.  Public  and  private  universities  and  colleges, 
Keio  University  and  Waseda  University  being  the  most 
important,  had,  in  1915,  23,178  students  and  sent  out  3,430 
graduates. 

Middle  schools — 319  schools,  6,453  teachers,  136,778 
pupils.  High  schools  (girls) — 346  schools,  4,389  teachers, 
90,009  pupils.  Elementary  — 25,558  schools,  159,754 
teachers,  7,263,733  pupils.  Technical — 792  schools,  7,505 
teachers,  428,732  pupils. 

Including  the  schools  for  blind  and  dumb,  the  normal, 
special  and  miscellaneous,  the  number  of  schools  is  37,810, 
with  192,291  instructors  and  teachers,  8,275,497  students 
and  pupils,  and  1,468,499  graduates  in  1915. 

Army  and  Navy.  The  defence  forces  of  Japan  rest  on 


JAPAN  AT  A GLANCE 


463 


universal  service.  The  system  requires  all  able-bodied  J ap- 
anese  from  seventeen  to  forty  years  old  to  respond  to  the 
nation’s  call.  This  in  practice,  however,  has  never  been 
made  in  full.  There  are  three  services,  the  active,  the 
reserve  and  the  depot.  Active  service  is  two  years  with 
the  colours ; reserve  service  extends  to  four  years  and  four 
months;  depot  service  ten  years.  There  are  certain  rare 
exemptions  and  some  alternative  service  for  students  as 
one-year  volunteers.  Conscripts  are  sent  either  to  army  or 
navy.  Military  and  naval  education  for  officers  is  imparted 
in  special  schools. 

The  army  on  peace  footing  calls  for  twenty-one  divisions 
or  some  315,000,  with  a large  reserve. 

The  navy  floats  twelve  battleships,  eight  battle  cruisers, 
nine  first-class  cruisers,  twelve  second-class  cruisers,  three 
first-class  and  thirteen  second-class  coast  defence  ships, 
three  first-class  and  five  second-class  gunboats,  two  first- 
class,  six  second-class,  twenty-four  third-class  destroyers, 
sixteen  first-class,  fifteen  second-class  torpedo  boats  and 
thirteen  submarines. 

Of  sixty-five  leading  ships  the  displacement  is  628,321 
tons. 

The  new  and  extensive  constructions  are  of  the  dread- 
naught,  destroyer  and  submarine  classes. 

Aviation  service  for  army  and  navy  is  attracting  atten- 
tion following  its  development  abroad. 

Topography.  The  Empire  of  Japan,  a chain  of  many 
islands  off  the  eastern  coast  of  Asia,  stretches  in  oblique 
line  from  north-east  to  south-west  along  a line  of  2,900 
miles,  from  Saghalien  to  Taiwan  (Formosa).  Its  curve 
embraces  the  peninsula  of  Chosen  (Korea)  and  encloses  the 
East  China  Sea,  the  Sea  of  Japan  and  Okhotsk  Sea,  and 
covers  an  area  of  257,673  square  miles. 

Of  these  territories,  Hondo  (the  main  island)  occupies 
33.53  per  cent.,  Hokkaido  11.70  per  cent.,  Kyushu  6.02  per 


464 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


cent.,  Taiwan  (Formosa)  5.35  per  cent.,  Karafuto  (Sagha- 
lien  5.08  per  cent.,  Shikoku  2.72  per  cent,  and  the  penin- 
sula of  Chosen  (Korea)  32.50  per  cent,  the  rest  3.10  per 
cent. 

The  islands  are  mountainous  with  countless  sharp  peaks 
and  narrow  valleys  and  relatively  small,  mostly  coastal 
plains.  Arable  area  is  thereby  reduced  to  about  fifteen 
per  cent,  of  the  whole.  Forests  are  plentiful. 

Coast  lines  with  many  indentations  aggregate  18,118 
miles.  Along  the  south-east  coast  of  Hondo  Island  and 
Kyushu  are  many  deflections  and  good  harbours,  such  as 
Nagasaki,  Kobe,  Osaka  and  Yokohama.  Hokkaido  has  only 
a few  bays.  Taiwan  very  few. 

Climate.  Generally  mild  and  salubrious,  but,  running 
from  sub-arctic  conditions  in  Saghalien  to  the  sub-tropical 
Formosa,  has  many  variations.  June  is  a month  of  rains. 
This  moistness  combined  with  high  temperature  makes  for 
the  growing  of  rice,  the  main  cereal  staple,  of  which 
7,641,417  acres  were  under  cultivation. 

Population.  In  December,  1916,  the  population  of  the 
Empire  was  estimated  at  77,289,494,  of  which  39,379,556 
were  males  and  37,909,398  were  females.  The  population 
of  Japan  Proper  was  55,965,189,  of  which  28,279,603 
were  males  and  27,685,586  females.  Chosen  (Korea), 
17,519,865;  Taiwan  (Formosa),  3,752,710;  Saghalien, 
51,730. 

The  population  as  to  Japan  Proper  is  divided  for  ad- 
ministration purposes  into  47  prefectures,  636  rural  dis- 
tricts, 71  cities,  1,263  towns  and  11,004  villages. 

In  1913,  the  latest  year  of  census  research,  there  were  in 
Japan  Proper  3,707,088  families  engaged  solely  in  farming 
and  1,736,631  farming  families  with  subsidiary  occupations. 
Total  farming  families  5,443,719,  constituting  nearly  40,- 
000,000  souls  and  cultivating  about  two  and  one-half  acres 
per  family,  the  average  size  of  a farm.  There  were  270,580 


JAPAN  AT  A GLANCE  465 

mine  workers  in  1914,  and  the  factories  employed  853,964 
operatives,  318,667  male  and  535,297  female. 

The  urban  population  (cities  and  towns  over  10,000)  in 
Japan  Proper  numbered  12,669,635  in  1908,  the  last  census, 
but  the  drift  to  the  cities  is  as  elsewhere  in  advancing 
countries  continuously  growing,  and  is  now  proportionately 
greater.  There  were  then  8,583,094  married  couples.  The 
marrying  age  is  greatest  at  between  twenty  and  thirty 
years,  largest  before  twenty-five. 

Populations  of  principal  cities  were,  in  1913 : Tokyo, 
2,033,320 ; Osaka,  1,387,366 ; Kyoto,  508,068 ; Nagoya,  447,- 
951 ; Kobe,  440,766 ; Yokohama,  396,101 ; Nagasaki,  160,450 ; 
Hiroshima,  159,000. 

Natural  Products.  Rice,  the  great  cereal  staple,  1916, 
was  harvested  to  the  amount  of  292,215,235  bushels. 
Wheat,  rye  and  barley,  116,754,020  bushels.  Other  crops 
were : Millet,  soy  bean,  red  bean,  sweet  potato,  seed  cotton, 
hemp,  leaf  indigo.  Of  potatoes  938,332  long  tons;  sugar 
cane  (in  Formosa),  971,827  tons;  soy  bean,  19,038,395 
bushels  were  grown  in  1915. 

Tea,  a large  and  valuable  crop,  was  grown  in  all  varie- 
ties; green  (four  kinds),  black  and  oolong  to  an  amount 
of  87,010,278  pounds. 

Silk,  ta  the  culture  of  which  the  government  is  giving 
great  attention,  is  produced  in  ever-increasing  volume, 
more  and  more  farming  families  taking  up  the  rearing  of 
the  worms  and  the  cultivation  of  mulberry  patches.  The 
use  of  filature  companies  for  unwinding  the  cocoons  by 
machinery  has  much  simplified  the  culture.  In  1916  the 
production  of  raw  silk  was  50,196,349  pounds,  employing 
in  all  284,500  reelers. 

Sugar  cane  production  in  Formosa  shows  every  sign  of 
growth,  the  companies  engaged  combining  for  higher  ef- 
ficiency and  economy.  In  1914  the  raw  sugar  production 
was  148,925  long  tons. 


466 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


Tobacco  leaf  in  1915  was  valued  at  yen  13,311,386. 

The  forests  of  Japan  Proper  may  be  roughly  dhuded 
into  state,  crown  and  privately  owned.  State  and  crown 
own  more  than  half.  Cryptomeria  and  hinoki  are  among 
the  most  highly  prized  woods.  Pines  and  other  conifers 
are  a feature.  In  all  there  are  several  hundred  kinds  of 
timber-producing  trees,  many  valuable.  The  forest  yield 
in  1915  was  in  lumber,  yen  65,629,492;  by-products,  yen 
18,059,394;  bamboos,  yen  2,248,041. 

Fisheries  in  an  island  empire  naturally  abound,  and  from 
the  frozen  to  the  tropic  seas  vary  in  fish  of  the  most 
desirable  kinds. 

Raw  marine  products  in  1915  were  valued  at  yen 
94,836,004,  and  manufactured  products  at  yen  63,527,567. 

Mining  makes  continual  progress  in  Japan  Proper  and 
Korea.  Copper  and  coal  are  by  far  the  most  important 
mineral  products.  Gold,  silver,  lead,  zinc,  antimony,  iron, 
coal  and  petroleum  and  some  rare  metals  are  found.  Iron 
ore  of  good  quality  does  not  exist  in  quantities  to  meet  the 
demand.  The  coal  is  mostly  bituminous.  In  1915,  the 
yields  were:  Gold,  yen  10,804,546;  silver,  yen  5,287,624; 
copper,  yen  53,731,798;  lead,  yen  976,389;  pig  iron,  yen 
2,497,130;  steel,  yen  1,164,762;  coal,  yen  65,068,894. 

Petroleum.  The  best  production  is  in  Echigo,  but  oil 
is  worked  in  eight  localities.  In  1915  crude  oil  production 
was  1,900,000  barrels  of  fifty  gallons  each. 

Salt,  1915-16,  yielded  yen  11,246,562. 

Horses  and  cattle.  The  improvement  of  stock  is  in 
government  hands.  Stallions  and  bulls  of  good  breeds  are 
imported — American,  Hungarian,  Arabian,  Anglo-Arabian 
and  Clydesdale  horses  and  Ayrshire,  Simmenthal,  short 
horns,  Devon  and  Dutch  cattle.  Swine  breeding  is  also 
aided  by  government  direction.  There  were  at  last  enum- 
eration, 1915,  1,579,517  horses,  1,387,922  cattle,  2,768  sheep, 
97,396  goats  and  333,276  swine. 


JAPAN  AT  A GLANCE 


467 


Manufactures.  A great  advance  in  Japan’s  manu- 
factures has  been  the  result  of  the  war  in  Europe,  largely 
because  of  the  cessation  of  exports  by  the  Teutonic  coun- 
tries, thus  opening  the  market  for  Japanese  goods,  and 
largely  because  of  demand  for  war  munitions,  clothing  and 
foodstuffs  by  Japan’s  allies,  notably  Russia.  Government 
has  aided  largely  by  increasing  technical  education.  The 
creation  of  “conditioning  houses”  in  all  the  exporting 
industries  will  soon  add  a necessary  factor  for  successful 
export. 

Factories  and  enterprises  at  the  close  of  1915  numbered 
16,809.  Of  these  8,406  were  textile,  1,426  machine  and 
iron-work,  1,838  were  chemical,  2,377  foodstuffs  and  bever- 
ages and  2,585  miscellaneous. 

Cotton  manufacture  is  the  most  elaborated  of  the  indus- 
tries with  (1915)  278  cotton  mills,  85,279,734  yen  capital, 
2,787,720  spindles  working  daily,  with  the  total  production 
of  cotton  yarn  683,629,704  pounds. 

In  woven  goods  (silk  fabrics  and  hemp  fabrics)  there 
were  in  1915,  418,419  weaving  houses  with  680,530 
looms,  producing  380,128,122  yen  worth  of  goods,  a great 
advance. 

Japanese  paper,  European  paper,  matches,  porcelain  and 
earthen-ware,  matting,  camphor,  lacquer-ware,  straw- 
plaits,  electric  and  gas  enterprises,  together  with  the 
government  factories,  go  to  make  up  the  factory  total  and 
are  to  be  considered  apart  from  the  many  thousands  of 
smaller  home  enterprises  employing  fewer  than  ten  persons. 

Railways.  The  railway  enterprises  in  Japan  Proper 
were  taken  over  by  the  state  in  1906.  They  were  narrow 
gauge,  but  the  task  of  relaying  them  all  at  standard  gauge 
is  likely  to  be  undertaken  shortly.  At  the  end  of  1916  the 
total  mileage  open  to  traffic  was  7,500.73,  of  which  5,756.76 
miles  belong  to  the  state,  the  rest  being  private  concerns. 
The  total  cost  of  construction  is  882,317,936  yen.  There 


468 


JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 


were  3,107  engines,  8,347  passenger  carriages,  48,335 
freight  cars.  They  carried  223,680,340  passengers,  with 
4,218,450,278  of  traffic  mileage  earning  total  fares  of  yen 
57,010,631.  Handling  41,591,143  tons  through  3,385,781- 
767  ton  miles  (traffic  mileage),  the  railways  cleared  59,- 
356,070  yen  in  freight. 

Tramways.  At  the  end  of  1916  the  municipal  and 
private  tramways  with  authorized  capital  of  yen  344,- 
158,190  had  1,469  miles  open  to  traffic.  With  5,303  cars 
they  carried  698,889,746  passengers,  total  receipts  being 
yen  55,704,654.  Seventy  municipalities  and  companies  run 
these  tramways. 

Steamships — Shipbuilding.  Japan’s  merchant  marine 
is  advancing  with  great  strides.  All  the  shipyards  are 
working  full  blast.  The  principal  steamship  lines,  Nippon 
Yusen  Kaisha,  Toyo  Kisen  Kaisha  and  Osaka  Shosen 
Kaisha  are  adding  to  their  bottoms  and  tonnage.  Lines 
are  being  extended  and  created  to  New  York  and  Brazil 
direct;  for  instance,  at  the  end  of  1916  Japan  had  2,159 
registered  steamers  with  gross  tonnage  of  1,696,631  tons, 
and  9,314  sailing  vessels.  The  encouragement  of  ship- 
building by  the  government  in  granting  subsidies  to  steam- 
ship lines  greatly  stimulated  construction  and  operation, 
and  by  the  end  of  1916  there  were  altogether  182  vessels 
of  700  gross  tons  and  upward  built  at  home,  aggregating 
637,230  tons.  There  are  216  private  shipyards  and  sixty- 
two  private  dry  docks  in  the  country,  some  handling  con- 
struction of  the  largest  vessels. 

Twenty-eight  companies  in  1916  with  a capital  each  of 
over  yen  300,000  and  total  authorized  capital  of  yen  131,- 
450,000,  ran  603  ships  with  a gross  tonnage  of  980,793. 
The  earnings  were  yen  151,904,364  and  dividends  were  at 
the  average  rate  of  90.1  per  cent.;  one  company  paid  720 
per  cent. 

Posts,  Telegraph  and  Telephones  are  in  government 


JAPAN  AT  A GLANCE 


469 


control  and  operation.  At  the  end  of  1916  there  were  7,358 
ordinary  post  offices  open  to  the  Japanese  public  and  over 
routes  of  51,418  miles  carried  1,910,305,841  letters.  At  the 
same  time  7,358  parcel  post  offices  transmitted  26,387,563 
parcels. 

Telegraph  offices  numbering  5,112  with  over  106,500 
miles  of  wires  transmitted  34,503,501  messages.  Wireless 
messages  numbered  51,150.  Telephone  stations  number- 
ing 2,603  ordinary  and  719  automatic  took  1,212,977,361 
messages. 

Japanese  Possessions.  Chosen  (Korea),  Taiwan  (For- 
mosa) and  Karafuto  (Saghalien)  are  the  scenes  of  con- 
tinuous effort  to  bring  backward  populations  into  the  line 
of  modern  progress  with  highly  encouraging  results.  The 
reforestation  of  southern  Korea,  and  its  progress  in  edu- 
cation, agriculture  and  manufacture  are  real  triumphs. 
The  taming  of  the  head-hunters  of  Formosa  is  another 
great  feat. 

Revenue  and  expenditure  of  Chosen  for  1917-18  is 
estimated  at  yen  62,589,309.  At  the  end  of  1915  Korea 
had  twenty-four  agricultural,  forty-three  industrial,  one 
hundred  and  nine  commercial,  twenty-five  transportation 
and  fifteen  other  enterprises  with  authorized  capital  of 
yen  55,116,740.  During  1916  she  exported  merchandise 
to  the  value  of  yen  56,801,934,  while  importing  yen  74,- 
456,805  worth  of  goods.  Her  mining  prospects  are  very 
great.  At  the  end  of  March,  1916,  Chosen  had  1,066 
miles  of  railways  open  to  traffic,  carrying  over  5,000,000 
passengers. 

Taiwan  presents  a harder  field  for  progress.  It  did, 
however,  a business  of  yen  130,214,432  with  Japan  Proper 
in  1916.  Its  sugar-cane  culture  is  very  promising. 

Karafuto  returns  rich  rewards  in  her  fisheries  and 
holds  great  promise  also  of  metallic  product  in  her  min- 
ing sections. 


470  JAPAN  AT  FIRST  HAND 

Status  of  Japan  in  finance,  trade,  national  debt,  banking 
and  currency  is  shown  in  Chapter  XXI. 


Note. — Owing  to  the  conversion  of  standards  of  weight,  measure 
and  mileage  from  the  Japanese  to  the  American,  complete  accuracy 
cannot  be  claimed  for  some  figures  above  given. 


INDEX 


Abacus,  former  use  of  the,  318. 

Ablutionary,  the,  102. 

Actors,  in  women’s  parts,  153; 
(ill.),  149. 

Actresses,  beginning  to  appear, 
153. 

Affection,  manifestation  of,  dis- 
allowed, 148. 

Agnosticism,  growing,  90. 

Altar  of  Heaven,  the,  417 ; the 
worship,  417-18;  Yuan  ofHciat- 
ing,  418. 

Ambulance,  an,  185. 

America.  See  United  States. 

Ancestor-worship,  87-8;  survives, 
90,  119. 

Ando,  Mr.,  his  factory,  178. 

“ Anti- Japanese  Polemics,  Some,” 
441-59. 

Antiques,  Korean,  361-2. 

Architecture,  96;  of  temples, 
classified,  166.  See  also  Tem- 
ples. 

Art,  Schools  of,  171-5. 

Asahi,  the,  Tokyo,  293;  com- 
posing-room of  (ill.),  260. 

Asano,  Lord,  151 

Asano,  Soichiro,  ship-owner,  40; 
his  hospitality  to  passengers, 
269 ; his  house — personality, 
270;  (portrait),  310. 

Asia,  as  a trading  ground,  312. 

Asiatic  Mystery,  the  supposed,  1 ; 
to  what  due,  4,  7 ; Kipling’s 
use  of,  4;  there  is  no  real,  113. 

Athletics,  59. 

Author,  the,  address  by,  51-2; 
poem  by,  155-160;  article,  444- 
59. 

Automobiles,  188. 

Baiko,  Mr.,  in  “ The  Adventur- 
ous Millionaire,”  (ill.),  149. 


Bank  of  Japan,  the,  319,  322, 
330;  (ill.),  326. 

Bank  Presidents,  a characteristic 
of,  318. 

Banks:  Yokohama  specie,  331; 
(ill.),  327;  Hypothec,  331; 
agricultural  and  industrial, 
332-3;  colonial,  333;  ordinary, 
333;  savings — postal,  334. 

Baseball,  60. 

Barmaids,  at  Paris  Exposition, 

210. 

“ Beloved  Vagabond,  The,”  char- 
acter resembling,  149. 

Bennett,  Arnold,  allusion  to 
“ Five  Towns,”  310. 

Benton,  the  goddess,  91. 

Bicycles,  188. 

Biwa,  Lake,  225. 

Blacksmith  Shop,  Engineering 
College,  (ill.),  52 

Boxers,  the,  416;  memento  of 
siege,  433. 

Bribery  scandals,  266-7,  282,  283. 

Brick -making,  303-4. 

Bridge-openings,  208. 

Brieux,  Eugene,  plays  of,  359. 

Bryan,  W.  J.,  366,  437. 

Buddha,  great  bronze  of  Kama- 
kura, (ill.),  91;  praver  to,  95; 
figures  of,  168,  169-70,  216; 
spirit  of,  366. 

Buddhism,  6,  88;  its  missionary 
zeal,  xxvii;  temples  let  for 
dwellings,  88;  disestablished, 
89;  the  higher,  90;  Hearn 
quoted,  90;  temples,  95,  96; 
paintings,  171.  See  also  Tem- 
ples. 

Bureaucracies,  die  hard,  xxv. 

Bushida,  code  of,  6. 

Business,  299-317 ; methods,  3. 

Butsugwa  art,  171. 


472 


INDEX 


Capital,  removal  of  the,  287. 

Carnegie,  Andrew,  366. 

Carpenters  at  work,  (ill.),  11. 

Carvings  in  wood,  170;  (ill), 
176;  the  three  monkeys  of  To- 
goshu,  Nikko,  (ill.),  164;  in 
ivory,  176. 

Catsubushi,  24. 

Ceramics,  176. 

Chairs,  for  travel,  186;  (ill.), 
185. 

Chamberlain,  Mr.,  in  “ Things 
Japanese,”  xvii. 

Charms  and  amulets,  use  of,  94. 

Chemulpo,  352. 

Cherry,  the  festal,  71. 

Children,  happiness  of,  2. 

China,  attempt  to  embroil  with 
Japan,  xxx;  policy  toward, 
xxxi,  xxxii;  profits  from  lease- 
holds, xxxii;  question  of  trade 
with  settled,  xxxv;  relations 
with,  263-4;  opportunities  for 
trade,  431;  the  salt  revenue, 
437 ; agreement  in  regard  to, 
455. 

China,  the  Great  Wall  of,  410-11; 
(ill.),  412. 

China-Japanese  War,  358. 

Chinese,  not  employed  in  banks 
of  Japan,  320;  on  the  battle- 
fields, 401. 

Chinese  cart,  (ill.),  413. 

Chinese  Republic,  the,  402,  425- 
40 ; the  Dowager  Empress, 
416;  the  boy  emperor,  415, 
422,  424,  432;  the  revolution, 
425-6;  reactionary  outbreak, 
and  its  failure,  441.  See  also 
Yuan  shih  Kai. 

Chinese  stage,  conventions  of  the, 
154. 

Chiro,  Mt.,  231. 

Chosen  (Korea),  349. 

Chou  Tsi-ch’i,  Mr.,  437-8. 

Christianity,  makes  little  prog- 
ress, xxvi. 

Chuzenji,  Lake,  228-32;  (ill.), 

231. 

Cloisonne,  177-9. 

Collegians  at  study  (ill.),  62. 

Conservatism,  in  the  old  only,  47. 


Constitution,  adoption  of  the, 
288;  its  provisions,  288-9. 

Cossacks,  ineffective,  377. 

Cotton  spinning  and  weaving, 
308-10. 

Counting-frame  (abacus),  318. 

Cryptomeria  tree,  the,  99;  ave- 
nue of,  Nikko,  (ill.),  230. 

Currency,  336. 

Customs  duties,  324. 

Daikon,  23. 

Daikyokuden,  temple  at  Kyoto, 
97. 

Daimios,  the  provincial,  6;  re- 
volt of,  287 ; battles  between, 
288. 

Dairen  (Dalny),  369,  387. 

Daiyagawa  River,  the,  100. 

Damascene-work,  176. 

Daughters  of  the  house,  the, 
(ill.),  37. 

Dance,  a hieratic,  104-5. 

Dances,  of  the  geishas,  202; 
(ill.),  207. 

Dancing,  in  plays,  143. 

Dancing  girl  and  servant,  (ill.), 
348. 

Dane,  Sir  Richard,  437. 

Dead,  the,  shrines  to,  19,  38; 
nothing  more  alive  than — 
Hearn  quoted,  119. 

Dead  on  203  Meter  Hill,  (ill.), 
392. 

Democratic  sentiment,  growing, 
xxii,  xxiv. 

Deva  kings,  sculptured,  96,  101. 

Dinner-party,  a,  41. 

Diplomacy,  262. 

Divers,  Prof.,  53. 

Divorce,  45. 

“ Doll’s  House,  A,”  acted,  150. 

“ Dream  Book  of  War,”  451,  454. 

Earthquakes,  14. 

East,  the,  no  mystery  in,  1. 

Education,  free,  2 ; system  of,  7 ; 
furore  for,  47 ; foreign,  49 ; 
statistics  of  schools,  49-50; 
technical,  50,  55;  commercial, 
51;  in  Korea,  66;  of  women, 
56-8;  in  art,  171-5. 


INDEX 


473 


Embroidery,  by  men,  179. 

Emperor,  an,  address  to,  by  en- 
gineer, 412. 

Emperor,  the,  his  policy,  287 ; 
his  victory  over  reaction,  288. 

Emperor,  the  boy,  of  China.  See 
Hsuan  Tung.  ■ 

Emperor  of  Korea,  the  deposed, 
his  deserted  palace,  363-5.  See 
also  Li. 

Empress  Dowager  Hakuro,  re- 
named for  eternity  Shoken, 
112;  her  funeral,  106-17;  ap- 
propriation for  funeral,  295-7 ; 
mourning  for,  xxvi. 

Empress  Dowager  of  China,  the, 
415. 

Empress  of  Korea,  murder  of, 
359,  363-4. 

Engineering  College,  blacksmith 
shop,  (ill.),  52. 

England,  struggle  for  democracy 
in,  xxiii;  ruling  class  like 
Japan’s,  xxiv. 

Enoshima  Island,  216,  219. 

Erlungshun,  Fort,  siege  of,  399- 
400. 

Exposition,  the  Tokyo,  10. 

Family,  the,  43-5. 

Farmers  in  Parliament,  293. 

Farming,  11,  15-16,  18. 

Fencing  class,  a,  69;  (ill.),  66. 

Feng-tien  (Mukden),  once  cap- 
ital, 403,  406. 

Festival  car  at  Kyoto,  (ill.),  221. 

Feudal  system,  the,  6,  7 ; aboli- 
tion of,  288;  purpose  of,  and 
result  of  its  downfall,  xx. 

Finance  and  banking,  318-37. 

Fine  Arts,  the,  161-80. 

First-class  car,  the,  (ill.),  193. 

Fisherman’s  dance,  the,  202. 

Fishing  village,  (ill.),  17. 

Fishing  industry,  the,  20-3. 

“ Flight  of  the  Prince,  The  ” — 
play,  147. 

Flowers,  festivals  of,  70;  school 
of  arrangement  of,  72. 

Foods,  14-15;  Prof.  Nitobe  on,  23. 

Forbidden  City,  the,  Peking,  422 ; 
deserted  palace  in,  (ill.),  435. 


Foreigners,  curious  old  pictures 
of,  54;  tricks  of  trade  by,  315. 

Fujiwara  Michinori,  established 
geisha  order,  199. 

Fujiyama,  Mt.,  8,  22,  190,  214- 
16,  218;  diflSeulty  in  seeing, 
215;  (ill.),  220. 

Furuya,  Mr.,  tea  merchant — his 
smile,  280. 

Fusan,  342-3. 

Fusumas  (sliding  doors),  36. 

Gallagher,  Patrick,  quoted,  xix. 

Gardens,  70-85;  (ill.),  73,  80. 

Geisha  dance,  with  orchestra, 
(ill.),  207. 

Geishas,  61;  the  real,  198-213; 
their  dances,  202-3;  as  models, 
204-5;  training  of,  206-7;  ex- 
hibitions, 208;  their  morals, 
208-9;  procession  of,  (ill.), 
206;  enjoying  a meal,  (ill.), 
207. 

Genro,  the,  282. 

Geography,  of  the  islands,  13-14. 

Germans,  bribery  by,  xxii;  the 
bureaucracy,  xxv;  intrigues  of, 
XXX,  432-3,  442,  443;  not  su- 
preme in  science,  49;  donkey 
diplomacy,  443. 

Ghosts,  on  the  stage,  152. 

Girl  before  mirror,  (ill.),  165. 

Girls,  how  they  read  and  study, 
(ill.),  53. 

“ Glimpse  of  Northern  China, 
A,”  402-24. 

Gods,  the  making  of,  118-36;  col- 
lection of  figures  of,  168-9;  in 
lyemitsu  temple,  (ill.),  164. 

Gods  of  Wind  and  Thunder, 
(ill.),  164. 

Golden  Pavilion,  the,  Kyoto,  83. 

Gongen  style  of  architecture,  166. 

Goodnow,  Dr.  F.  J.,  played 
Yuan’s  game,  428,  429. 

Gould,  Jay,  quoted,  428. 

Government,  five  principles  of, 
287. 

“ Hachi-no-ki,”  drama,  story  of, 
140-3;  scene  at,  (ill.),  148. 

Hakama,  the,  53. 


474 


INDEX 


Hakone  Lake  and  village,  217; 
Fujiyama  reflected  in,  (ilk). 
220. 

Hakuro.  See  Empress  Dowager. 

“ Hall  of  a Thousand  Mats,”  the, 
(ilk),  242. 

Hannibal,  the  Japanese,  monu- 
ment to,  122. 

Hara,  K.,  leader  of  the  Seiyukai, 
297;  (portrait),  276. 

Harakiri,  130,  131. 

Harvest  Dance,  the,  202. 

Hatoyama,  Mme.,  57. 

Hayakawa,  G.,  banker,  40;  his 
garden,  81-2;  his  home,  273-4; 
(ilk),  36;  his  daughters, 
(ilk),  37;  his  portrait,  310. 

Hearn,  Lafcadio,  his  mysticism, 
xvii ; cited,  68,  90 ; on  ancestor- 
worship,  119;  impressed  by 
Japanese  art,  164. 

Hideyori,  defeat  of,  836. 

Hideyoshi,  Toyotomi,  54. 

Higashi,  Kuni,  Prince,  phrase  at- 
tributed to,  454. 

Higashi  Hongwanji,  temple,  223; 
hair  rope  at,  224 ; imperial 
messenger  gate,  (ilk),  91. 

“ High  Lights  of  the  Road,”  214- 
27. 

Hinoshita,  Kaisan,  the,  62. 

Hirose,  Lt.  Commander,  135,  136, 
395. 

Hiroshige,  167. 

Hishida,  Seiki,  348,  356. 

History,  early,  of  government, 
5-6;  of  art,  literature,  reli- 
gion, 6. 

Hobson,  Capt.,  xxx. 

Hokusai,  167. 

Home-life,  35;  (ilk),  5. 

Honden,  the  lyeyasu,  93,  103. 

Hondo  Island,  13. 

Hoshogawa,  Capt.,  388,  397,  399. 

Hot  Springs,  220. 

Houses,  arrangement  of,  16,  19, 
36. 

Hsuan,  Tung,  boy  emperor  of 
China,  415,  422,  424,  426;  his 
sudden  appearance  and  disap- 
pearance in  1917,  432. 

Hyogo,  cotton-mill  at,  72. 


Industry,  leaders  of,  277. 

Inland  Sea,  the,  241. 

Inonye,  J.,  Yokohama  bank, 
(portrait),  310. 

Insurance,  335. 

Inukai,  Mr.,  party  leader,  298. 

“ Invisible,  the,”  on  the  stage, 
154. 

Iriya,  Shoseku,  carving  by,  176. 

Ise,  shrine  of  Shintoism,  91. 

Ishigawa,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  29- 
30. 

Ishii,  Viscount  Kikujiro,  recep- 
tion of,  xxxi;  agreement  with, 
XXXV,  455. 

Islets,  artificial,  246. 

Ito,  Prince,  297,  359,  361. 

Ivory-carving,  176. 

lyeyasu,  conditions  before,  xx, 
xxi. 

lyeyasu  and  lyemitsu,  shoguns, 
their  tombs  and  temples, 
Nikko,  99,  100;  terraces  and 
gate  in  lyegasu  temple,  (ilk), 
102;  gods  in  lyemitsu  temple, 
(ilk),  164. 

Japan,  influence  of  its  opening, 
XX,  xxi;  its  advance,  xxii;  se- 
curity of  the  throne,  xxiii; 
democratic  sentiment,  xxii, 
xxiv;  the  ruling  class,  the  four 
great  clans,  xxiv;  titles  of  no- 
bility, XXV ; in  the  European 
war,  its  effect  upon  finances, 
xxix;  attempts  to  embroil, 
xxx,  xxxi;  foolish  distrust  of, 
xxxiv. 

“ Japan  at  a Glance  ” — its  gov- 
ernment, religions,  educational 
affairs,  army  and  navy  sys- 
tems, topography,  climate, 
population,  products,  indus- 
tries, railways,  shipping,  post, 
telegraphs,  telephones,  terri- 
torial possessions,  and  finances, 
460-70;  desires  America’s 
friendship,  449-50;  war  with 
Russia.  See  Russo-Japanese 
War. 

“ Japan’s  Place  in  the  Sun,” 
pamphlet,  444. 


INDEX 


475 


“ Japan’s  Real  Attitude  toward 
America,”  reply  to  the  above, 
444;  article  from,  444-59. 

Japanese,  the  character  of,  xix, 
1,  2,  4,  8,  113;  business  meth- 
ods, 3;  physique,  11-12;  in 
California,  453. 

Japanese  Menace  bogey,  the,  442. 

Jenks,  Prof.  Jeremiah,  447. 

Jimbutsu  Art,  171. 

Jimmu  Tenno,  Emperor,  111. 

Jingoro,  Hidari,  carvings  by,  170. 

Jinrickisha,  the,  181-5  ; in  China, 
184;  (ill.),  184. 

Jiu-jitsu  (judo),  (>6;  (ill.),  60. 

Johnson,  Dr.,  quoted,  86. 

Journalism,  breeds  democracy, 
257. 

Judo  (jiu-jitsu),  66-9;  school  of, 
67;  class  at  practice,  (ill.),  60. 

Kago,  mountain  chair,  the,  186; 
(ill.),  184. 

Kakemono,  the,  37,  163. 

Kamakura,  former  capital,  5, 
216-17;  Buddha  at,  169;  (ill.), 
91. 

Kanagafuchi,  cotton  mill  of,  72. 

Kanda,  Baron,  his  commercial 
school — address  at,  51. 

Kaneko,  Viscount  Kentaro,  275; 
(portrait),  277. 

Kano,  Hogai,  picture  by,  175. 

Kano,  Prof.  Jigoro,  67,  69;  (por- 
trait) , 60. 

Karamon  gate,  the,  103. 

Kato,  Viscount  Takaaki,  266; 
organized  party,  267 ; his  per- 
sonality, 267 ; plan  to  make 
premier,  283-4;  quoted,  299, 
300;  on  China,  402;  (por- 
trait), 276. 

Kawamura,  Gen.,  125. 

Kegan  Fall,  the,  230,  (ill.),  236. 

Keijo  (Seoul),  345. 

Keio  University,  252. 

Kensekai  party,  the,  284-5-6. 

Ketteler,  Baron,  monument  to, 
416. 

Kilwanshan,  barracks  of  north 
fort,  (ill.),  392. 

Kipling,  quoted,  4. 


Kitamura,  Mr.,  in  a modern 
piece,  (ill.),  149. 

Kizuchi,  Mr.,  in  a modern  piece, 
(ill.),  149. 

Kobe,  visit  to,  236-7 ; dock  yard, 
305-6;  cotton  mills,  309. 

Kodama,  Gen.,  125,  382,  383. 

Kokuminto  party,  298. 

Kondratenko,  Gen.,  393;  his 
death,  398. 

“ Korea  a Model  of  Colonial  Up- 
lift,” 339-55. 

Korea,  industrial  schools  in,  56; 
territory  and  population,  340; 
history,  340,  357-9;  Japan’s 
debt  to,  340;  reforesting,  344, 
350;  under  old  conditions,  350; 
mission  schools,  351 ; revenues 
— schools,  353;  irrigation — 
silk  culture,  354 ; ancient  pot- 
tery kilns  in,  362;  illustra- 
tions, 348,  .349,  359,  362,  303. 

Korean  Archipelago,  the,  242-5. 

Korean  monarchs,  the  deposed, 
356,  358,  359-60;  murder  of 
the  empress,  359,  363-4;  their 
palaces,  356-7,  359-65;  por- 
trait of  deposed  emperor,  358. 

Korean  Palaces  and  Antiques,” 
356-65. 

Koreans,  their  idleness  and 
pride,  342,  343,  346,  347,  351; 
costumes,  342-3,  345 ; some  pro- 
gressive, 347 ; their  attitude  to 
the  new  regime,  355. 

Korean  swell,  a typical  old, 
(ill.),  348. 

Kose-no-Kanaoka,  166. 

Koshino,  Mr.,  in  a favourite  part, 
(ill.),  149. 

Koto,  42. 

Kotsubo  (Red  Bluff),  village,  21. 

Kowta  Island,  (ill.),  243. 

Kublai  Khan,  tomb  of,  418;  his 
sway,  418-19. 

Kudan  shrine  to  dead  soldiers, 
92. 

Kumagai,  Mr.,  60. 

Kuni,  Prince,  136. 

Kuroki,  Gen.,  125;  in  Russian 
War,  369,  370;  at  the  Yalu 
River,  403. 


476 


INDEX 


Kuropatkin,  Gen.,  sent  to  Port 
Arthur,  369 ; at  Liaoyang, 
370;  retreat,  370,  374;  at 
Shaho  and  Sandepu,  375;  at 
Mukden,  375-83;  retreat,  382; 
his  mistakes,  383. 

Kuroyuwa,  S.,  journalist,  252. 

Kurumas  (rickishas),  (ill.),  184. 

Kwacho  Art,  171,  172. 

Kwammu,  Emperor,  100. 

Kwannon,  goddess  of  mercy,  168, 
170;  picture  of,  175. 

Kwan-san  North  Fort,  taken, 
397-9. 

Kyoto,  former  capital,  5;  gardens 
at,  83,  84 ; incident,  84 ; Dai- 
kyokuden  and  Chonin  temples, 
97 ; visit  to,  222-7 ; transfer  of 
capital,  223;  Fine  Art  School, 
175;  illustrations,  10,  90,  91. 

Lacquer-work,  collection  of,  170. 

Lamasery  (monastery),  a,  419. 

Language,  the,  difficult,  3. 

Languages,  foreign,  not  easily  ac- 
quired, 3,  4. 

Lansing,  Secretary,  note  by, 
455-6;  quoted,  457-9. 

Lawn  tennis,  60. 

“ Leaders  of  Men,”  262-80. 

Leiter,  Joseph,  quoted  on  Yuan, 
439-40. 

Li,  Prince,  deposed  emperor  of 
Korea,  359,  361 ; his  palace, 
360-3;  wins  at  billiards,  362; 
(portrait),  258. 

Liaoyang,  Ibattle  of,  135,  220, 
370,  372;  the  town,  371;  Lama 
tower  at,  (ill.),  374;  natural 
cave  temple  near,  (ill.),  374 

Lion  Dance,  the,  203. 

Li  Yuan  Hung,  vice-president, 
416;  president,  432. 

Lloyd  George,  xxiv. 

Lord  rides  forth,  the,  (ill.), 
frontispiece. 

Lovers’  Leap,  the,  87,  224. 

Love-song,  a Japanese,  34. 

Luwu,  Chinese  poet,  quoted,  31. 

McMurray,  H.  A.  V.,  421,  424. 

Maikos,  212,  262. 


Mavnichi,  the,  Osaka,  257-8; 
proof  and  copy  of  editorial 
from,  (ill.),  261. 

Makaroff,  Admiral,  death  of,  396. 

Makino,  Count,  40. 

Makuza  ware,  177. 

Malaprop,  Mrs.,  195. 

Manchuria,  illustrations,  374, 
375,  392,  393. 

“ Manchurian  Battlefield,  The,” 
slaughtered,  422 ; disaffected, 
366-83. 

Manchus,  the,  403-4,  406;  24,000 
to  Yuan,  426. 

Man-power,  used  in  transporta- 
tion, 9,  10. 

Manufactures,  300. 

Manuscripts,  ancient,  53-4. 

Maple  Club,  banquet,  a,  202,  203. 

Marco  Polo,  stories  of,  418. 

Marionette  shows,  1,  153. 

Marriages,  how  arranged;  42-3; 
dissolution,  45;  ceremony,  45. 

Masaoka,  heroine  of  play,  1. 

Mats,  38. 

Matsukata,  Kojiro,  shipbuilder, 
277-8,  305. 

Matsushima  Island,  245-6;  (ill.), 
243. 

Mayeda,  Marquis,  40,  52. 

Mayo  Brothers,  surgery  of,  49. 

Meiji,  Emperor,  change  under 
the,  XX,  xxi.  See  also  Mutsu- 
hilo. 

Merriewold  Park,  xviii. 

Mikado,  effect  of  restoration  of, 
7 ; a god,  121 ; coronation  pro- 
cession, (ill.),  206. 

Mikadoate,  succession  to  the,  106. 

Military  class,  the.  See  Samurai. 

Miller,  Rainsford,  consul-general, 
348. 

Mishima,  Viscount  Yataro,  272. 
321. 

Miso,  23. 

Missionaries  in  Japan,  xxvi;  in 
China,  xxviii;  in  Korea,  351, 
352-3. 

Mitsui,  Baron  H.,  40;  room  in 
his  house,  (ill.),  42;  his  gar- 
dens, 79;  lawn,  (ill.),  80;  his 
family,  272-3;  (portrait),  310. 


INDEX 


477 


Mitsunaka,  Shogiin,  monument 
to,  218. 

Miyajima,  island,  240;  pagoda 
and  torii,  (ill.),  242. 

Miyanoshita,  217-18. 

Mizumachi,  K.,  321. 

Monkeys  of  Toshogu,  the  three, 
carving,  (ill.),  164. 

Monopolies — tobacco,  salt,  cam- 
phor, 324-5. 

Morinubu,  Kano,  picture  by,  182. 

Mujin,  126. 

Mukden,  visit  to,  403-9;  the 
Manchu  capital,  403,  406;  the 
imperial  tombs,  405-9 ; inci- 
dent of  Boxer  rebellion,  409; 
a street  in,  (ill.),  412;  gate  of 
mausoleum  of  Manchu  em- 
perors, (ill.),  413. 

Mukden,  battle  of,  124,  128, 

368,  375-83;  memorial,  (ill.), 
375. 

Mulberry  tree,  the,  26. 

Municipal  loans,  327. 

Murata,  Tamotsu,  278-9;  his 
speech  in  House  of  Peers,  and 
resignation,  279. 

Muroran,  steel  works  at,  304. 

Musicians,  wandering,  233-4. 

“ Music  Master,  The,”  acted,  150. 

Musumes,  apprentice  geishas, 
206-7. 

Alutsuhito,  Emperor,  122-3;  his 
death,  129;  his  name  after 
death,  Meiji — his  shrine,  166; 
transferred  his  capital,  223. 

Nagare-zukuri,  architectural 
style,  166. 

Nagoya,  porcelain  factory  at, 
177,  178,  310. 

Nakano,  Buyei,  139;  his  help  to 
foreigners,  275-6;  an  authority 
on  investments,  314;  (por- 
trait), 277. 

Nanshan,  battle  of,  127;  a 
tactical  sin,  369. 

Nandaimon  Gate,  Seoul,  (ill.), 
349. 

Nantai  San,  Mt.,  231;  pilgrims 
to,  2.32;  (ill.),  231. 

Nara,  former  capital,  5,  221-2. 


National  debt,  the,  325-7 ; ex- 
penditure, 328. 

Navy,  German  bribery  in,  xxii. 

Newspapers,  247-61;  early  dai- 
lies, 249;  five  leading,  250-1; 
circulation  of  seventeen,  251 ; 
owners  and  editors,  252-3;  in 
English,  255-6;  the  Tokyo 
Asahi,  293;  composing  room 
of  the  Asahi,  (ill.),  260. 

Newspaper-men,  visit  of,  to 
America,  247-8;  at  home,  248. 

Newspaper  oflSces,  dinginess  of, 
256-7 ; the  composing  room, 
258-61. 

Nikko,  99;  temples  at,  99-105; 
visft  to,  228-34;  illustrations, 
102,  164,  176,  230. 

Niomon  Gate,  the,  101. 

Nippon,  the  main  islands,  13;  old 
art  of,  173;  soul  of,  140-3. 

“ Nippon,  The  Soul  of,”  poem, 
155-60. 

Nirvana,  90. 

Nitobe,  Dr.  Inazo,  xviii,  23,  276. 

No  Dramas,  the,  quoted,  76,  77; 
dance  in,  81;  legend,  81;  de- 
scribed, 137-44;  likeness  to 
Greek  drama,  138;  translation, 
139-40;  story  of  a,  140-3; 
farce,  143-4;  scene  at  “ Hachi- 
no-ki,”  (ill.),  148;  audience, 
(ill.),  148. 

Nodzu,  Gen.,  125. 

Nogi,  Gen.  Count  Kiten,  124-30; 
his  sons,  126-8;  their  por- 
traits, 126;  poems  by,  127, 
128;  his  death,  130;  his  will, 
130;  relics  of,  132;  his  house, 
132-3;  his  grave,  134;  (ill.), 
126;  his  sword  and  harakiri 
knife,  (ill.),  126;  at  Port 

Arthur,  369;  at  Mukden,  377- 
82. 

Nogi,  Mrs.,  portrait,  126;  her 
grave,  (ill.),  126. 

Nogi,  the  new  Count,  130. 

Nojine,  M.,  quoted,  391-2,  393, 
394. 

Nomibiki  Waterfall,  237. 

Obata,  Yukioki,  434. 


478 


INDEX 


Okakura-Kakuso,  his  book  on 
tea,  31. 

Oku,  Gen.,  125;  at  battle  of  Nan- 
shan,  369;  at  Mukden,  377. 

Okuma,  Count,  40;  university 
founded  by,  55 ; his  garden, 
80;  after-dinner  speech  by, 
254;  his  personality,  264-5;  re- 
tirement, 266-7 ; his  ministry, 
283;  resignation,  284;  in  Par- 
liament, 296;  on  armaments, 
302;  article  by,  quoted,  454; 
(portrait),  276. 

Okura,  Baron  Kikachiro,  his 
school  and  collections,  50-1, 
168-9;  visit  to,  82;  his  busi- 
ness genius — endowment  of 
schools — charities,  270;  (por- 
trait), 310. 

Omar  Khayydm,  quoted,  357. 

Omori,  Dr.,  seismologist,  277. 

“ One-sided  Love,”  play,  149. 

Onomichi,  Kowta  Id.  at,  (ill.), 
243. 

“ On  Wheels,”  181-97. 

Osaka,  marionette  show  at,  1 ; 
visit  to,  234-6;  castle  and 
siege,  235-6;  temple  with  tur- 
tle court,  236;  rice  exchange, 
236. 

Otenmon  Gate,  Shinto  Temple, 
Kyoto,  (ill.),  90. 

Oyama,  Marshal,  124,  382,  383. 

Ozaki,  Yukio,  his  oratory,  268; 
his  personality,  268 ; his  wife, 
268;  his  intended  speech,  285; 
(portrait),  276. 

Ozeki  wrestlers,  the,  62. 

Pacific,  the,  to  be  a pathway  of 
peace,  xxxv. 

Palace  gardens,  Tokyo,  (ill.), 
72. 

Palanquin,  a,  (ill.),  184. 

Panama  Canal,  effect  of,  on 
Japanese  shipping,  308. 

“ Parliament,  and  Politics,”  281- 
98. 

Parliament,  how  constituted, 
289-91;  salaries,  291-2;  elec- 
tions, 292-3;  opening  of,  294; 
costume,  294-5;  the  chambers. 


295;  House  of  Representatives, 
(ill.),  290. 

Peace,  prospect  of  universal,  366. 

“ Peking  in  the  Heyday  of 
Yuan,”  425-40. 

Peking,  route  to,  from  Mukden, 
409;  journey  to,  409-11;  ho- 
tels, 411;  its  vastness,  411; 
temples,  411-12;  the  cities, 
412;  the  engineer,  412-13; 
shopping  in,  413;  restaurants 
— movies — theatres,  414;  walls 
to  keep  out  evil  spirits,  414-15, 
the  Altar  of  Heaven,  417 ; tem- 
ple of  Confucius,  418;  the 
Lamasery,  419;  Summer  Pal- 
ace, 420-1 ; the  Forbidden 
City,  421;  the  Legation  quar- 
ter, 433;  unhealthy,  435;  Tem- 
ple of  Heaven,  (ill.),  434; 
gate,  temple  of  Confucius, 
(ill.),  434;  deserted  palaces 
in  the  Forbidden  City,  (ill.), 
435. 

Peng  Chi-Foo,  natural  cave  tem- 
ple near,  (ill.),  374. 

Perry’s  Fleet,  picture  of,  54. 

Perspective,  165. 

Photography,  influence  of,  on  art, 
171. 

Pilgrims,  groups  of,  86;  to  Ise, 
91 ; at  Nikko,  93. 

Pine  Island,  (ill.),  243. 

Pine  Tree  Dance,  the,  233. 

Ploughman,  the,  his  weary  way, 
(ill.),  20. 

Political  parties,  all  liberal,  287, 
291;  conservative  forming, 
296-7 ; how  divided,  298. 

Porcelain  manufacture,  310-11. 

Port  Arthur,  Shinto  shrine  at, 
92;  captures  of,  126,  127,  128; 
struggle  at  203  lleter  Hill, 
367,369;  fall  of,  376;  as  a sum- 
mer resort,  368,  388;  schools, 
388;  the  siege,  389,  390;  203 
Meter  Hill,  389-90;  assaults 
upon,  391-4;  summit  of  203 
Meter  Hill,  (ill.),  303;  Rus- 
sian reserves  under  hill,  (ill.), 
393. 

“ Port  Arthur  and  Kiao-Chow,” 


INDEX 


479 


384-401;  similarity  of  siege 
problems,  384. 

Port  Arthur  Technical  Institute, 
the,  55. 

Portsmouth,  Peace  of,  382. 

Portuguese,  possible  descendants 
of,  239. 

Pottery,  manufacture  of,  310-11; 
ancient  Korean,  362;  (ill.), 

363. 

Press,  freedom  of  the,  248;  cen- 
sorship, 248-9;  dummy  editors, 
249;  Yomiuri,  primitive  pa- 
pers, 249;  influence  of,  252; 
associations,  banquet  of,  253-4. 

Priests,  the  early  poets,  76. 

Proof  and  copy  from  a Alainichi, 
editorial,  (ill.),  261. 

Queues  still  worn  in  Manchuria, 
404,  406. 

Railroads,  189;  travel  by,  191-96. 

Rea,  George  B.,  pamphlet  by,  and 
reply,  444  et  seq.,  xxxi. 

Rebellions:  Saga,  286;  Samurai, 
288. 

Reinsch,  P.  S.,  American  min- 
ister to  China,  434. 

Religion,  a live,  95;  shrines  of, 
at  Port  Arthur  and  Tokj'o,  92. 

Religions  and  temples,  86-105. 

Rice,  planting,  cleaning,  and 
pounding,  (ills.),  16. 

Rickisha,  the,  181-5;  (ill.),  184. 

Rockefeller  Institute,  rank  of,  in 
bacteriology,  49. 

Rokotan,  238. 

Ronins,  the  forty-seven,  their 
graves,  131;  significance  of  the 
story,  150;  outlined,  151 ; plays 
on,  152;  their  tombs,  (ill.), 
127. 

Roofs  in  Tokyo,  (ill.),  10. 

Room,  a model  Japanese,  (ill.), 
42;  a semi-European,  (ill.), 
42. 

Roosevelt,  Theodore,  his  lessons 
in  judo,  69. 

Root-Takahira  agreement,  the, 

XXXV. 

Russian  oflBcers,  tales  of,  409. 


Russo-Japanese  War,  the,  358, 
366-83 ; scene  of  sea-fights, 
339;  beginning,  352;  sea  ac- 
tions, 368;  203  Meter  Hill, 
367 ; battle  of  Nanshan,  369 ; 
Liaoyang,  370;  Mukden,  375- 
83;  effect  of  annexation  of 
Korea,  341;  Port  Arthur,  384, 
400;  assaults  upon  203  Meter 
Hill,  389-94;  siege  of  North 
Fort  of  Kwan-San,  397-9;  of 
Fort  Erlungshun,  399-400; 
battle  of  the  Yalu,  403;  relics 
of,  401;  illustrations,  375, 
392,  393. 

Saga  rebellion,  the,  286. 

Sakatani,  Baron  Yoshiro,  his  pas- 
sion for  statistics,  269. 

Sake,  201. 

Samurai,  the,  6,  7;  skill  in  ex- 
ercise, 59 ; abolition  of  sword- 
bearing by,  288;  rebellion  of 
Satsuma,  288. 

Sancho  Panza,  quoted,  51. 

Sano  Ganzaimon,  157-60. 

Sansui  art,  167,  171,  173. 

Satsuma  Samurai,  the,  revolt  of, 
288. 

Savings  banks,  334;  postal,  334. 

Sculpture,  176. 

Seiyukai  party,  the,  286,  297. 

“ Sending  Away  ” of  an  Empress, 
the,  106-17. 

Sengakugi  Temple,  Tokyo,  gate 
of,  (ill.),  127. 

Seoul,  344-52;  industrial  school 
at,  353-4;  palaces,  356-65; 
suburb  of,  (ill.),  348;  south- 
ern gate,  (ill.),  349;  street, 
(ill.),  349;  palace  and  court, 
(ill.),  359;  Buddhas  from 

museum,  (ill.),  362;  ornaments 
and  pottery,  (ill.),  363. 

Seppuku,  131. 

Servants,  domestic,  44. 

Shang-ti,  overlord  of  the  heav- 
ens, 417. 

Shemmei  architectural  style,  166. 

Shibusawa,  Baron  E.,  313;  his 
enterprises,  studies,  poems,  cal- 
ligraphy, 271;  (portrait),  310. 


480 


INDEX 


Shintoism,  6,  87-8;  temples  and 
torii,  88;  precept  of,  90;  tem- 
ple at  Kyoto,  (ill.),  90. 

Shiohara  Matasaku,  278. 

Ship-building  plant,  305-6. 

Shipping  companies,  306-8. 

Shipping  law,  the  La  Follette, 
effect  of,  xxxiii,  308. 

Shirabyoshi,  the,  199. 

Shogunate,  the,  6;  fall  of,  7,  286. 

Shoken,  Empress  Dowager,  fu- 
neral of,  106-17. 

Shops  in  Tokyo,  (ill.),  10. 

Shoyu,  24. 

Silk  culture,  25-30;  silkworms, 
27-8;  taking  out  the  sleeping, 
(ill.),  28. 

Smirnoff,  Gen.,  393. 

Soga  Brothers,  monument  to, 
218. 

“ Soul  of  Nippon,  The,”  140-3; 
poem,  155-60. 

Sou  Shan  Hill,  372-4. 

Soya  bean,  the,  404. 

Soyeda,  Dr.  Juichi,  40,  275; 
(portrait),  277. 

Spider  Dance,  the,  202. 

Sports,  manly,  59. 

Statuary,  portrait,  122. 

Steel  works,  302-4. 

“ Step-mother,  The,”  play,  148. 

Stoessel,  Gen.,  surrender  of,  128, 
393,  401. 

Straw  hats,  making,  (ill.),  11. 

Streets,  appearance  of  the,  9,  10. 

Suffrage,  291;  call  for  extension 
of,  xxii. 

Sugimura,  Mr.,  editor,  256. 

Suicide,  the  ritual,  130,  131 ; re- 
garded with  favour,  148,  231. 

Summer  Palace,  the,  420;  burned 
in  1860,  420;  the  loot,  420-1. 

Sumo,  61. 

Sumptuary  laws,  7. 

Sun-goddess,  the,  87. 

Sun  Yat  Sen,  Dr.,  his  govern- 
ment, 427 ; office  and  conces- 
sion seekers,  427. 

Superstitions,  94,  415. 

Suyimatsu,  Mr.,  357 ; finds  an- 
cient pottery,  362. 

“ Swarm,”  the,  430, 


Tachibana,  Major,  119,  135-6; 
his  heroism  and  death,  373. 

Tachiyana,  champion  wrestler, 
61,  66;  his  muscles,  (ill.),  61. 

Tai  fish,  the,  21. 

Takahashi,  Baron,  321. 

Takamine,  Dr.  Jokichi,  xviii. 

Takata,  Mr.,  actor,  150. 

Taketorni,  T.,  a leader  of  the 
Kensekai,  (portrait),  276. 

Tang  Kangtzu,  220. 

Tanyu,  picture  by,  182. 

Taxation,  321-24. 

Teachers,  preference  for  native, 
48-9. 

Tea  culture,  30-4 ; picking, 
kneading  leaves,  (ill.),  29. 

Temple,  a natural  cave,  (ill.), 
374. 

Temples  of  Confucius,  Peking, 
(ill.),  434. 

Templfi  of  Heaven,  Peking,  (ill.), 
434. 

Temple  servant,  a,  Nikko,  (ill.), 
230. 

Temples,  the,  75,  86,  95-105; 
curious  rope  in  a,  95;  offer- 
ings, 86-7 ; classified  archi- 
tecturally, 166;  at  Kyoto, 
223-5;  Osaka,  236;  turtle 
court,  236. 

Terauchi,  Marquis,  policy  of, 
263 ; his  personality,  265-6 ; his 
work  in  Korea,  266 ; made 
premier,  284;  dissolves  parlia- 
ment, 285 ; wins  in  election, 
286;  significance  of  these 
events,  xxiii;  entertains,  341- 
51;  defeated  at  billiards,  362; 
(portrait),  268. 

Theatre,  the,  137-60;  “No” 
dramas,  137-144;  buildings, 
145,  146. 

Titles  of  nobility,  xxv. 

Tobase  school  of  art,  167. 

Todaimon  Dori,  street  in  Seoul, 
(ill.),  349. 

Togan,  his  pictures,  274. 

Togo,  Admiral,  125. 

Tokiowa  restaurant,  the,  199. 

Tokiyori,  155. 

Tokonoma,  the,  37. 


INDEX 


481 


Tokugawa  Shoguns,  rule  of,  5,  6, 
236,  236;  victory  of  lyeyasu, 
236;  revolt  againat,  287. 

Tokutolin,  I.,  journalist,  252. 

Tokyo:  art  school  at,  172-5;  ex- 
hibits at  exposition,  10,  73, 
178;  Imperial  Museum,  170; 
Kudan  shrine,  92;  illustra- 
tions, 10,  72,  73,  80,  127,  192, 
260,  290. 

Tokyo  University,  52;  collections 
at,  53-5;  Women’s  University, 
56-7. 

Tombs,  imperial,  405-9. 

Tortoise,  a sculptured,  407,  410. 

Tosa  Ryu,  school  of  art,  167. 

Toyonaga,  Dr.,  56. 

Toyotomi  Hideyoshi,  equestrian 
statue  of,  122. 

Trade,  the  great  problem,  8. 

Travel,  humours  of,  in  Tokyo, 
(ill.),  192;  trials  of — the 

snorer,  (ill.),  193. 

Trees,  treatment  of,  74,  79,  81. 

“Trees  in  Jars,”  drama,  140-3, 
157. 

Trolley,  travel  by,  187. 

Tsai  Ting  Kan,  Admiral,  435-6. 

Tsing-tao,  354;  taken  by  Japan, 
432,  443;  probable  disposition 
of,  xxxii. 

Tsuchida,  Bakusen,  picture  by, 
175. 

Tsuda,  Miss,  57. 

Tsugi,  Rihel,  tea-planter,  32-3. 

Tsushima  Islands,  the,  339. 

Tuan,  Premier,  432. 

Uji,  tea  picking  and  kneading  at, 
(ill.),  29. 

Ukiyoye  school  of  art,  167,  173. 

United  States,  the,  entrance  of, 
into  European  war,  xxxiii, 
442;  Japan  as  ally,  442;  Ger- 
man attempt  to  embroil,  with 
Japan,  443;  relations  between 
the  two,  xxxiv,  300,  317;  trade 
opportunities  for,  313-14;  pre- 
paredness, 448-9,  450;  with- 
drawal of,  from  Chinese  Quin- 
tuple Power  loan,  437. 

Universities,  the  four  imperial. 


62;  others,  55;  sporting  ele- 
ment slight  at,  55. 

Urami  Falls,  232. 

Uriu,  Admiral,  352;  (portrait), 
277. 

Uyeda,  Dr.,  220,  238. 

Uzdaemon,  Mr.,  in  “ The  Prince’s 
Flight,”  (ill.),  149. 

Vehicles  in  use,  181-197;  (ill.), 
184,  185. 

Verestchagin,  death  of,  396. 

Village,  a fishing,  21. 

Village  road,  a,  (ill.),  4. 

Volcanoes,  active,  14. 

Wagons  Lits  Hotel,  Peking,  the, 
411;  its  guests,  430. 

Wakamatsu,  steel  works  at, 
302-4. 

War,  the  European,  beginning  of, 
367 ; lessons  of  former  wars 
applied,  386-7 ; Japan  in, 
xxix;  entrance  of  America, 
xxxiii;  art  of,  taught,  6; 
memorial,  Mukden,  (ill.),  375; 
profits,  308,  318,  337;  results 
of  the  two  great,  8. 

Whistler,  J.  M.,  167,  176. 

“ White  Wolf,”  bandit,  436. 

Wife,  position  of  the,  43-4. 

Wi-fon-ton,  village  and  three 
farms,  fight  at,  378-80. 

“ Woman’s  Revenge,  A ” — ^play, 
146. 

Women:  in  social  life,  40-2; 

changing  status  of,  44;  educa- 
tion, 44,  46;  field-work,  59-60; 
factory,  304,  309-10;  in  China, 
378,  404-5. 

Wood-carving,  170;  (ill.),  164, 
176. 

Wrestlers,  two  younger,  (ill.), 
61. 

Wrestling,  61-66. 

Yahushi-do,  the,  102. 

Yalu  River,  battle  of,  403. 

Yamagata,  Prince,  124;  in  old 
age,  264. 

Yamagawa,  Dr.  Kenjiro,  52; 
University  president,  276. 


482 


INDEX 


Yamamoto,  Mr.,  146. 

Yamashita,  Prof.,  judo  teacher 
in  Washington,  69. 

Yamato,  an  ancient  name  of 
Nippon,  13,  112. 

Yamato  Ryu  school  of  art,  167. 

Yamomoto,  Baron,  his  ministry, 
282. 

Y.  M.  B.  A.,  the,  xxvii. 

Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the,  success  of,  xxvii. 

Yasukawa,  Mr.,  college  given  by, 
55. 

Yedo  (Tokyo),  5. 

Yokohama  Specie  Bank,  interior, 
(ill.),  327. 

Yokosuna,  the,  62. 

Yomeimon  temple,  Nikko,  gate 
of,  103;  (ill.),  102. 

Yomiuri,  early  newspapers,  249. 


Yoshihito,  Emperor,  106;  funeral 
address  by,  116;  American 
message  to,  xxxv. 

Yoshimitsu,  Shogun,  83. 

Young,  Jlr.,  journalist,  255. 

Yoyogi,  shrine  at,  109. 

Yuan  shih  Kai,  President,  263; 
his  attempt  against  Japan, 
XXX ; his  tenure,  402;  in  his 
palace,  415;  as  celebrant,  418; 
in  seat  of  Kublai  Khan,  419; 
reasons  for  his  seclusion,  425, 
429;  his  regime,  428;  his  con- 
stitution, 428,  429;  his  death, 
432;  his  method  of  dismissing 
officials,  438;  a friendly  view 
of,  439 ; effect  of  his  failure 
and  death,  441 ; his  ambition 
to  be  emperor,  441. 


